<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Secret Admirer by TheCurvedWritingDesk</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24844027">Secret Admirer</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCurvedWritingDesk/pseuds/TheCurvedWritingDesk'>TheCurvedWritingDesk</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Midnight Poppy Land (Webcomic)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fluff, Humour, Hurt and comfort, Jealousy, Suspense, Thriller</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 06:14:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>54,773</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24844027</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCurvedWritingDesk/pseuds/TheCurvedWritingDesk</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Poppy had a secret admirer. Tora wrestles with his jealously.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tora/Poppy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>403</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>501</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>All the characters and original story belong to the amazingly talented Lilydusk.</p><p>Been waiting to get to this one for a while. So excited to finally be giving it life. Hope you enjoy it! :) As always, let me know what you think! This will be another multi-chapter fic. Buckle up. :P</p><p>Song suggestions:<br/>My Boy by Billie Eilish (Poppy)<br/>Steal My Girl by One Direction (Tora)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Poppy yawned and blinked at her computer screen before raising a finger to her eye, trying to rub the sleep out of it. It was almost noon but Tora’s passion had kept her up until the wee hours of the morning. She didn’t really mind, messing up her sheets with him was always well, pleasurable, but honestly, the man was insatiable and she needed more sleep. She blushed a little remembering what they’d done just hours earlier. He had insisted on having her one more time before she’d gone to work. He’d taken her against the back of her front door, not even bothering to strip her, just pushing up her skirt and shoving her panties out of the way. He had been so enthusiastic she’d missed the bus and he’d had to drive her into the city. She yawned again, the movement cracking her jaw. She read the same email for the third time, her tired addled mind finally making sense of it. Three times was too many. That settled it, no matter what cute or sexy thing he texted her today, there would be no sleepover tonight. She needed to actually <em>sleep</em>.</p><p>                “Ugh, excuse me, are you Ms. Wilkes?” A delivery boy asked, approaching her desk. He held a bouquet of flowers in a small square vase wrapped in coloured cellophane.</p><p>                Poppy eyed him suspiciously; who is the world was sending her flowers? “yes, that’s me.”</p><p>                The boy set the vase down on her desk, pulling a machine from his belt he handed it to her, “Great, electronic signature please.”</p><p>                She accepted it and used her finger to scribble her autograph, “usually packages are just left at the front desk,” she mumbled, more to herself than him.</p><p>“Oh ya, the receptionist tried to get me to leave them with her but instructions were very clear, only <em>you</em> can accept them and signature was required for proof of delivery.” He replied with a smile, taking his machine back, “Have a nice day Ms. Wilkes.”</p><p>        Poppy watched him leave, heading towards the elevator before she unwrapped the flowers.  They were lovely.  One white rose sat at the centre of a plethora of red roses, red carnations, and a few white gardenias, honeysuckle sprinkled throughout them. The bouquet was small enough to fit comfortably on the edge of her desk without taking up too much space and would look absolutely lovely on the centre of her dining table when she got them home. She grinned at them, they were beautiful and she loved them. She reached for the small envelope taped to the side of the vase.  The note was computer printed.</p><p>
  <em>Poppylan,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Your beauty is like the rare white rose that blooms among the red ones. A wonder to behold, and an impossibility to forget. Each pedal tells of my feelings for you. Each flower a part of my message.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Eternally devoted to you,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Your secret admirer</em>
</p><p>Poppy frowned; secret admirer? Why wouldn’t Tora just sign his name? This was so out of character for him. Granted they’d only been together a couple months and she was continually learning new things about him…but still. Poetry and secret messages through flowers? Words of love already? Even more shocking, the fact that Tora knew flowers were a way to communicate? Well, then again, she knew his peonies held meaning for him. She snorted as she thought about what he’d said to her this morning as he dropped her off. ‘Hustle that cute ass Bobby or I’ll toss ya in the back and make ya late again.’ She deadpanned, yup, peonies or not, this was definitely out of character for him. Maybe he had Quincey do this for her? She minimized her email and typed in the names of each flower, searching for their meanings, jotting them down in her notebook as she went.</p><p>White rose – New beginnings, innocence, purity, reverence</p><p>Red rose – I love you</p><p>Red carnation – admiration, heartache for love</p><p>White gardenia – secret love</p><p>Honeysuckle  -  devoted affection</p><p>                She stared down at her notebook in confusion. She definitely wasn’t pure or innocent anymore; Tora had made damn sure of that. New beginnings could mean their relationship maybe? The rest though, she was at a loss. She knew he cared about her. He made it very obvious in the little things he did for her all the time but he wasn’t exactly a talker when it came to emotions. When she’d asked him what they were to each other last month he’d just shrugged and said ‘good shit?’  It had been like pulling teeth to get him to admit he was happy she wanted to call him her boyfriend. She sighed. This had to be Quincey’s doing.</p><p>                She reached for her phone, punching in his number, he picked up on the forth ring. “Poppylan, honey, great to hear from you, what did you think of the last chapter? Did you love it, or did you <em>love</em> it? Gah! I know, a bit much but come on darling, who doesn’t want dirty sex in a cave behind a waterfall?”</p><p>                Poppy giggled, she always found Quinceton amusing. She had begged him to help her after she’d remembered the notebook she’d seen at his apartment, finally making the connection to who he was. Quincey had agreed to work for Goldfish Publishing and fulfill Mr.Lam’s wish, under the condition that Poppy be assigned as his editor. “I read it over last night, haven’t marked it up yet, gonna start that on my second read,” in truth she had had every intention of working on it the previous evening, but then Tora had showed up and, well, that had been the end of her ability to focus on work. “I didn’t actually call to talk about work, I have a question.”</p><p>                Quincey raised his brows in curiosity, a question? “Lay it on me sister. What’s up?”</p><p>                Poppy leaned back in her seat, staring at the flowers, “you didn’t by any chance send me a beautiful bouquet of flowers did you?” she inquired hesitantly.</p><p>                Quincey whistled into the phone, “Girl. No, I wish I had now that you mention it, especially with all the work you’ve done with me. Are they amazing? Is that why you thought it was me?” he asked.</p><p>                Poppy swivelled from side to side in her desk chair, using her tippy toes to propel her, “well, they’re not over the top but the message was very sweet, said to look for meaning in the flowers and I know how much you love figurative language, especially metaphors, just thought it might have been you.” She explained.</p><p>                Quincey was silent a long moment, “well, I mean, Tora is sentimental on the rare occasion.” He supplied reluctantly.</p><p>                She scrunched up her face in doubt, “ya but…I don’t know he just doesn’t seem like a bouquet kind of guy. I could see him getting a tattoo for me before doing something like this,” she sighed, “not that I’m disappointed my any means. This is one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me; I just honestly didn’t think he had it in him.” She explained, twirling a stand of hair around her finger.</p><p>                He sighed into her ear, “well Poppy if there’s one thing I’ve learned about Tora in all the years I’ve known him, it’s not to underestimate the man. There’s not much he can’t do, it’s always just more a question of will he or would he,” Quincey explained, doing his best not to come across ominously. He knew Tora had made allusions to the fact he was more than a bodyguard but he wasn’t sure just how much Poppy knew about what he actually did for a living.</p><p>                She giggled, “Oh I know. Once, when I told him he shouldn’t climb over the fence around my apartment he told me, and I quote, ‘just because I shouldn’t doesn’t mean I can’t’. The man is insufferable, he doesn’t seem to think any rules apply to him, like he’s just above it all,” she explained with a wide grin on her face.  In truth, she was rather attracted to the rebel in Tora, it was exciting to date someone who was so unaffected by societal norms and expectations. The man seemed to do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.</p><p>                Quincey rolled his eyes, “Oh you don’t know the half of it. Anyways darling, I have to go I have a lunch date but please call me when you have the edits for my chapter ok love? Toodles!” He gushed, hanging up on her.</p><p>                Poppy smiled at her phone before tucking it back into her purse, her gaze fell on the flowers for a brief moment before she shrugged and reopened her email. She supposed there a lot more she still had to learn about her rather moody boyfriend. The flowers were a surprise for sure but not an unwelcome one. She grinned to herself; she couldn’t wait to thank him in person for them.</p><p>~                ~            ~</p><p>                Tora knocked on Poppy’s apartment door just after six, his mouth stretching wide as he yawned. It’d been a long day, the lack of sleep had been worth it so far but he wasn’t sure if he’d still feel the way in a few hours. Vince still had more orders for him. He had to be at a warehouse for nine. He wasn’t about to pass up dinner with his girlfriend though. Sharing a meal with her was a fuck of a lot better than take out in his car alone. Her voice floated through the door to him, “come in Tora, it’s unlocked.” He frowned, grabbing hold of the door handle as he let himself in.</p><p>                He toed off his shoes and locked the door behind him before he made his way to the kitchen, crossing his arms as he leaned in the doorway. “I thought I told you to stop doing that?” he scolded her rather seriously. She rolled her eyes at his scowl and waved him off dismissively with the backs of her fingers, unconsciously brandishing a rather large kitchen knife at him in the process.</p><p>                She blew her bangs out of her eyes as she went back to chopping, “you worry too much. Besides, I didn’t want to have to come let you in. I’ve been busy in here,” she retorted, gesturing at the boiling pot and sizzling pan on the stove, unconsciously swinging the knife again as she motioned around the small kitchen.</p><p>                He reached out and grabbed her wrist, stilling its movement, “I do <em>not</em> worry too much. I worry just the right amount. Now put that down before you hurt someone.” He told her, rather annoyed. Why the fuck had he gone out of his way to get her better locks if she wasn’t gonna fucking <em>use</em> them? Her ability to just trust the good in people had been endearing in the beginning, now though, now it just frustrated the fuck outta him. She was dating a thug. She should know better.</p><p>                She pulled her wrist from his grip, setting the knife down as she moved to toss the diced peppers into her waiting pan, “what’s the big deal? I only left it unlocked because you said you were on your way. I lock it whenever I’m alone and double check it when I go to bed like you told me to. Isn’t that enough?” She asked seriously, wiping her hands clean of juice on the hand towel hanging off her stove.</p><p>                He glared at her in annoyance, “Poppy, I take your safety seriously, even if you don’t. So could ya just lock the goddamn door?” he growled, his brows low over irritated eyes.</p><p>                She grinned at him warmly, approaching him, pressing a small hand over his heart; she tilted her beautiful face up to him, her eyes twinkling with amusement, “alright good-lookin’, I’ll lock the door, even on you if that’s what you really want.” She poked him and laughed before adding, “worry wort.”</p><p>                Tora rolled his eyes, the woman was insufferable. He had more than enough reasons to worry, the last thing he needed was her doing careless things purposely. That just made it so much worse. He stomped over to her patio door, only somewhat relieved when he reassured himself that she had at least locked that one. He was on his way back to the kitchen when he noticed the flowers.</p><p>                He frowned at them, he didn’t really have any feelings towards flowers one way or the other, well, with the exception of peonies and poppies but something about this bouquet made his nerve endings alert. He had gotten very good over the years at sensing imminent threats and he’d managed to live long enough to know listening to his gut when something felt off was the smart thing to do. He approached them cautiously, reaching for the small card beside them. He read it twice, his annoyance growing as his eyes moved over each word carefully. By the time he was finished reading the second time he wasn’t just annoyed anymore, he was fucking angry. Who the fuck was tryna <em>steal </em>his girl?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>PSA: You may not be Tora's biggest fan over the next few chapters but I assure you he grows as a character and gets better. Please skip ahead to "Tea Time" if you want to know more before you continue reading.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope you guys like this as much as Chapter One. As always, let me know what you think. ♥</p><p>Please listen to the song. It really evokes the emotions in the chapter for Poppy.</p><p>Songs:<br/>Leave Me Alone I'm Lonely by Pink (Poppy)<br/>Runaway Train by Soul Asylum (Tora)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                Tora clenched his jaw and set the note back down before he accidentally crushed it in his fingers. He stood there for a moment, calming himself. He wasn’t a fucking child anymore; he had better control over himself than this. He exhaled slowly through his nose, relaxing. She hadn’t thrown them out upon receiving them. She’d put them on fucking display in her living room. Not cool Bobby. Not cool. That fucking hurt. She was the one that had pushed for labels and promises of monogamy and now here she was accepting flowers from other dudes?</p><p>He crossed his arms, glaring at the bouquet, how the fuck did he play this? Did he confront her about them? Chuck them off the balcony? Ignore them? Christ. He had no idea what to do. He couldn’t do nothing though. This couldn’t fucking stand. She had outlined very strict expectations of him when they’d made things official, no guns in the apartment, no more giving out Fran and Fred’s number to get rid of chicks, no speeding when unnecessary, no <em>cheating</em>, not that she’d even needed to say the last one, he’d thought that’s what making a fucking <em>commitment </em>meant. All he’d asked of her in return was to lock her fucking doors and text him that she’d gotten home safe every night. He hadn’t thought, ‘don’t encourage another male’ had needed to be explicitly said. Then again she couldn’t even lock the goddamn doors and he’d been fucking explicit about that one. God, this was a fucking nightmare. He glared at the note again; fuck whoever this bitch was and his fucking way with words. Did Bobby like it? Is that why she’d kept them? Is that what she wanted? Gifts and pretty words? His face fell, did he actually need to worry about this?</p><p>        “Hey, grumpy,” Poppy greeted him, appearing from the kitchen as she set their meal down on the table beside the bouquet, “I meant to thank you earlier for those, you distracted me about the door though.” She explained, rising on her tippy toes to press a kiss to his cheek, “Really sweet message, I appreciate the thought you put into it but if you really love me I’d prefer you just say it, you don’t need to hide your emotions from me Tora. I mean it is a little soon but,” she shrugged her shoulders, “if that’s really how you feel then that’s okay with me. I wish you’d just signed your name though, would have saved me from having to call Quincey.” Poppy cocked a brow at his bewildered and embarrassed expression.</p><p>Tora looked at her like she had three heads, “You think this shit is from me?” he clarified, clearing his throat, desperately trying to ignore how her statement about love nagged at him. She hadn’t expressed any for him. Why did that upset him? She was right, it was way too soon for that shit but fuck if it didn’t bug him to know she wouldn’t say it back if she really thought he’d said it.</p><p>She blinked up at him in surprise, “they aren’t?”</p><p>“Fuck no. Come on Bobby, you really think I’d write something like that? I mean fuck, I can barely hold a pen right.” He assured her, taking a seat beside her, immensely relieved. If she had thought they were from him, well that was okay then wasn’t it? She’d make it right now that she knew…right?</p><p>Poppy frowned at the flowers, if they weren’t from Tora or Quincey, who is the world had sent them? She took a bite of her food, needing a minute to chew and think. She swallowed as she dug into her plate for another bite, “well, I guess someone else must really like me then eh?” she joked, blushing a little. If someone was this into her wouldn’t she have noticed?</p><p>Tora glared at her, chewing on his own food, her infatuation with the notion someone else cared for her annoyed him, “you gonna toss them?” he asked, gesturing at the bouquet between them.</p><p>She looked at him in confusion, “why would I do that? They’re beautiful,” she replied, taking another bite of her meal, oblivious to the storm brewing inside him at her words.</p><p>“Well I don’t know, maybe because they’re from someone else?” he replied sarcastically, his brow twitching in irritation.</p><p>Poppy set down her chopsticks slowly and turned to face him, “Tora, they’re flowers. I like the <em>flowers</em>. I haven’t even the foggiest idea who might have sent them to me. Accepting them does not mean I’m accepting someone else’s attention. It just means they’re pretty and I like pretty things. Besides, they’re alive and I want to look after them just like the rest of my plants.” She explained gesturing around at the various flora and fauna that decorated her apartment, “I’m not going to kill them before their time just ‘cause you’re jealous.”</p><p>He glared at the wall above her head, inhaling sharply at her words, his teeth grinding. She may not know who had sent them but she was a fool if she didn’t think accepting them would encourage this person. He knew how fucking men worked. He was one. All she’d done to encourage him was hold his fucking hand and here they were. He hadn’t been able to leave her alone. He glanced back down at his food, choosing to keep his mouth shut. He didn’t wanna fucking fight with her. He had to work tonight. He just wanted to have a nice meal. He shoved in another mouthful.</p><p>She studied him, cocking her head to the side, he was very obviously upset with her, his body language was so tense she was surprised he hadn’t snapped a chopstick. “Tora, you know I only want to be with you right?” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She made him put down his utensils and crawled into his lap, cradling his face between her hands. “Come on Mr. Moody,” she kissed the tip of his nose, “chill out.” She reached behind her for the note and proceeded to rip it up in front of him, letting the pieces flutter down to land on the floor beside him.</p><p>He looked at her from beneath thick dark brows, unimpressed by her show of devotion. He wanted to put the flowers through a fucking shredder. Grind the glass of the vase into dust. He couldn’t stand the idea of her keeping something from another man. Then she was kissing him, her palm tugging him closer, her little fingers splayed over his neck tattoo, the other worming its way under the sleeve of his t-shirt so she could clutch his bare shoulder. He kissed her back aggressively, a fist tangling in her hair, the other wrapping around her waist, holding her to him. He ripped his mouth from hers, “get rid of them Poppy.” He growled, unwilling to accept her silent apology until she promised to remove the eyesore.</p><p>She rolled her eyes, sighing, why did he always have to be so insecure? “alright Tora, if they bug you that much I’ll give them to Erdene tomorrow but I’m not killing them.” She compromised.</p><p>He nuzzled her neck, satisfied with her offer. He dropped a kiss there before giving her bottom a light swat as he lifted her from his lap and placed her back in front of her plate, picking up his utensils once more, “works for me Bobby. Just make sure they aren’t out when I get back later tonight. I don’t wanna see them again,” he instructed, turning his attention back to his meal.</p><p>Poppy froze, her chopsticks halfway to her mouth before she set them back down, “actually Tora, I think it would be best if you slept at your own place tonight.” She replied hesitantly. She cursed herself silently, he was tense again. Couldn't he just give her a day to miss him? Why did he insist on always staying with her? “Tora, I really need to get some sleep, I was useless today at work. You know I love having you here and uh, the way you touch me but I can’t have you coming and going at all hours of the night. Or uh, being so uh, um, voracious with me? Three hours of sleep is not enough.” She word vomited, trying to explain without offending him again. She knew how fragile he could be.</p><p>He nodded once, rather tersely. “I’ll stay at my place tonight,” he replied finishing his plate. Poppy snuck glances at him as they ate the rest of their meal in silence. She had never felt this uncomfortable sitting quietly with him before. She could feel something awkward and heavy between them now, and it wasn’t just the damn flowers. Annoying him was usually strangely satisfying but this was different. This wasn’t fun at all. She frowned as she chewed her final morsel. Was this their first fight? She had always thought their first disagreement would be loud and angry, expressive, explosive even. Not silent tension with everything they weren’t saying to each other filling the space between them. It was weird and she didn’t like it. The longer the minutes stretched between them the more frustrated she became.</p><p>“You know Tora, you don’t need to be so upset about it. We don’t have to spend every damn night together.” She muttered under her breath, grabbing his plate to stack on hers.</p><p>He glared at her, “I’m leaving,” he told her, moving towards the door. Fuck her. She wanted flowers from other people and now she was sending him away? Ordering him out of her bed? Fine. He knew when he wasn’t welcome anymore.</p><p>Poppy chased after him, instantly regretting her words. She didn’t mean it, she was just upset and exhausted and why did he have to be like <em>this</em>? She grabbed his arm, halting him. “Don’t go yet Tora, please, not like this, I just,” she paused, taking in the cold look on his face, “I just need sleep.” She whined in a small voice. He leaned down and kissed her briefly. It made her want to cry, it held none of his usual warmth or passion or fever. It was like pecking a stranger in greeting.</p><p>“Get some rest sweetheart,” he told her, slipping on his shoes. “And lock the fucking door this time.” He ordered, and then he was gone, slamming the door behind him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Ohhhh Poppy's in trouble... ;P  Can't wait to read your thoughts on this one. Can I just take a moment to say you guys are amazing. I can't believe the thought and time some of you put into your comments. I love reading every single one of them. You guys are wonderful and often one of the highlights of my day ♥</p><p>Songs:<br/>The Middle by Zedd, Grey  <br/>Come &amp; Get it by Selena Gomez   <br/>Desperate Measures by Marianas Trench</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Poppy wasn’t sure how long she stared at the door waiting for him to come back, to rush in and apologize and say they were both being stupid and he wasn’t actually mad and everything was okay. He never did though. The doorway remained closed and empty. Eventually she locked it and made her way back to the table, glaring at the flowers that had ruined her night as she collected their plates. By the time she had finished washing them she felt awful. Was it really such a big deal to toss them like he wanted? She eyed the flowers as she stood there with uncertainty in the middle of the room. No. The flowers hadn’t done anything wrong. Plants had the right to live just like anything else. Life was precious. Important. But she needed to do <em>something</em> to make herself feel better. To make <em>him</em> feel better. She grabbed her phone and shot him a text.</p><p>
  <em>The flowers will be gone tomorrow, I promise  &lt;3 don’t be mad about not sleeping over I just need a little space. </em>
</p><p>She ran herself a bath, content she had at least tried to open dialog between them again. This was exactly what she needed. She was going to have a nice relaxing soak and by the time she got out he will have texted her he was sorry and over reacted and then she’d tell him it was ok and that she was sorry too and he could sleepover again tomorrow and then she’d go to bed and when she saw him tomorrow she’d give him a blow job to show him just how sorry she was for hurting him. Then they’d have make up sex and everything would be fine again. Yup. Everything was going to be just fine, she thought as she stripped and climbed into the tub.</p><p>~                ~             ~</p><p>                Tora drove too fast, it was even fast for him, but he didn’t care. Fuck her. If she didn’t have to lock her doors then he didn’t have to obey speed limits. When he hit a red light and came to a stop he took heavy breaths, trying to calm the rage he felt. He didn’t get like this anymore, hadn’t let his anger control him in years, but damn it all if she didn’t bring all his emotions boiling to the surface. When he hit the gas pedal a minute later it was with a much lighter foot, her words replaying over in his head.  </p><p><em>Tora, you know I only want to be with you right?</em> <em>You know I love having you here and the way you touch me.</em> <em>I was useless today at work. Three hours of sleep is not enough. </em></p><p>                He frowned to himself. She had a point. He was tired too; she didn’t have to send him away though. He was capable of just sleeping next to her; he didn’t have to touch her. His frowned deepened. He supposed, to be fair to her he would concede they had yet to share a bed and he not wind up inside her, but still. He was a grown ass man, he could keep his hands to himself if he actually tried, she’d just never rejected his advances before, not even once. He sighed; he supposed that was part of the problem wasn’t it? He’d never had the opportunity to show her he could respect her sleep. He had just assumed she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Well that settled it. The next time he saw her, there would be no sex. He’d prove to her that he could handle sharing her bed with no physical expectations.</p><p>His phone buzzed. He glanced down at it, his mood darkening all over again as he read her text. SPACE? She’d said she needed fucking <em>sleep</em>! Now she wanted <em>space</em>? What the fuck did that even mean? He threw his phone over his shoulder into the backseat. He had no idea how to reply to that.</p><p>~               ~           ~</p><p>                Poppy was borderline panicking by the time she was ready for bed and brushing her teeth. He still hadn’t texted her. So much for her make up fantasy, she spit and clutched the sides of her vanity, staring down at the drain in deep contemplation. She knew what she had to do; she had to get him to come back, to make things right between them again. He obviously felt very strongly about this. She’d get rid of them tonight. She changed back into her day clothes, grabbing her keys and the flowers off the table she made her way downstairs to Mrs. Haru’s apartment and knocked on the door. It was only nine; she hoped it wasn’t too late for a social call.</p><p>                Mrs. Haru opened the door a minute later, pleased to find Poppylan Wilkes filling her door with a bright smile and a beautiful flower arrangement. “Hey Mrs. Haru, I’m sorry to bother you so late but I just wanted to give these to you as a thank you for being such a wonderful and welcoming landlord. Plus I finally wanted to repay you for those delicious cookies when I moved in.” She explained hurriedly, practically shoving the flowers at her.</p><p>                “Oh,” Mrs. Haru gasped, excepting them, “Poppy, thank you these are beautiful!” she exclaimed, truly this young lady was a lovely tenant. She’d been a little worried when the thug she was dating started coming by but he never caused issues for her and Mrs. Haru was one to mind her business.</p><p>                Poppy grinned at her brightly, “you’re welcome, it’s really my pleasure! Hope you enjoy them!” she said, giving her a small wave as she headed towards the stairs pulling her phone from her pocket as she heard Mrs. Haru close her door behind her. She typed out a text to Tora.</p><p>
  <em>I know you’re still mad at me. I’m sorry I wasn’t considerate of your feelings. I got rid of the flowers. They’re gone now. Tell me you forgive me. &lt;3</em>
</p><p>He had to respond now right? When he didn’t, she sent him a follow up text a while later, another sweet one, trying to coax him into responding, inviting him back. She didn’t need sleep that bad. She’d live. Yet, there was no response to that either.</p><p>                By ten she was beside herself. How could he just ignore her like that? He’d left her first message on read and he hadn’t even bothered opening the second or third. She had to do something to get him to come back tonight. She couldn’t go to bed knowing he was upset with her. They had to make up. They just had to. She bit her lip as she sat up in bed. He was going to be unbelievably pissed with her when he got here but desperate times called for desperate measures right? She’d make it right once he arrived. He would definitely come if she did this. Right? She typed out her message and hit send, then powered off her phone, her heart pounding, she was playing with fire and she knew it. She picked up her book off her nightstand in an attempt to fight off her exhaustion, determined to stay up until he got back.</p><p>~                ~              ~</p><p>                Tora held the man tied to the post up, his hands cupping his feet, supporting his weight. “Alright Donald, do you know what’s going to happen to you if I tell my dog to move?” Vincent purred.</p><p>Donald nodded with vigor, “yes sir, please don’t do this, please! I’m not responsible for the rats, it wasn’t me. I just rounded them up for the Nine Daggers, I didn’t release them! I didn’t know what they were for! I swear Mr. Balthuman! If I had known what they were planning on doing I would have never agreed to the job!” he cried and wailed, begging for a pass.</p><p>Tora grunted under his weight, the mother fucker was heavy. His arms were tied behind his back though and the guy was secured four feet off the ground. If Tora dropped him the guy’s own body weight would tear both his rotator cuffs, dislocate both shoulders and based on how overweight he was, he may even break his wrists. He was wasted on shit like this and Vince knew it. This was beneath him, just a fucking reminder that his vacation was over. Could they not have just put a table under him to stand on or something? He glared at Vince. This was a fucking punishment for him as well as Donald and they both knew it. Vince always got his panties in a bunch whenever Tora did things not exactly to the letter. He rolled his eyes as Vince went on a long winded speech, there was a metaphor about cutting off a snake’s head before it bit him and something else about how big and bad he was and how dare anyone try anything and <em>Christ </em>this motherfucker was heavy. Could Vince hurry it the fuck up? Was he supposed to drop this pudgy fucker or not? ‘Cause if this was all just intimidation and no actual pain he needed to cut the crap and hurry up and untie this cow, Tora’s arms were going numb. Vince had taken his sweet ass time having him work this guy over before stringing him up and now the asshole wanted to waste time on a fucking soliloquy?</p><p>He had already been irritated when he had gotten here two hours early, chain smoking until Vince had finally rolled up with Donald. He was about ready to flip his shit now. “Would ya get to the motherfucking point already?” He barked, cutting off his boss, “my fucking arms are giving out over here, am I dropping him or not?” He asked, annoyance laced through his tone.</p><p>Vince smiled wickedly at Donald, “drop him.” Tora sighed and rolled his eyes, releasing the man as he took a step back and shook out his arms. Well that was bullshit. He watched dispassionately as Donald cried out in agony over and over again. He reached for a cigarette, even more annoyed when he realized he’d smoked them all. Fuck. Could this night get any worse?</p><p>He glanced at Vince, the man was grinning manically. The evil fucker enjoyed inflicting pain too much. Fuck he wanted a cigarette. He crossed his arms. “We leaving him there?” he asked. Caring less about Donald and more about whether he could fucking leave now.</p><p>Vince clapped him on the shoulder, “let him hang for another hour, then cut him down, what you do with him after that is up to you.” He instructed, turning to head towards his car.</p><p>Tora rolled his eyes as he watched Vince’s retreat, Donald’s crying and screaming echoing off the abandoned warehouse walls. His wailing getting on Tora’s last nerve. Once the car was out of eyeshot he pulled his switchblade from his pocket and cut the man down. Like hell he was gonna sit here for another hour listening to this pig squeal. Donald fell unceremoniously into a heap, his arms hanging limp and useless at his sides. Tora pulled him to his feet. “Okay ya fat fuck, your legs work, go to a hospital.” He ordered, walking away from the man and towards his own car.</p><p>He slammed the door behind him, throwing it in drive; he was halfway out of the industrial block when he remembered his phone in his back seat. He pulled over and groped blindly for it in the dark, his thick fingers finally wrapping around it. He pulled it upfront with him. He had three missed texts from Bobby.</p><p>
  <em>9:05</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I know you’re still mad at me. I’m sorry I wasn’t considerate of your feelings. I got rid of the flowers. They’re gone now. Tell me you forgive me. &lt;3</em>
</p><p>
  <em>9:45</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I know you’re mad but please don’t ignore me, I feel terrible. I can’t help it if someone else likes me Tora, please don’t hold somebody else’s feelings against me. Come back tonight, please? I wanna make up.</em>
</p><p>He sighed, that was a relief. A small smile beginning to creep over his face, he was glad she’d finally come around. No sex tonight. He’d just go and sleep next her, hold her close as they both got some much needed rest. His eyes dropped down to her last message; his soft feelings towards her evaporating instantly.</p><p>
  <em>10:20</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I’m leaving the door unlocked for you. If you don’t come, it’ll be unlocked all night. </em>
</p><p>                He called her immediately, it went straight to voicemail. He called twice more. He got her voicemail again both times. That sneaky, cunning little…he scowled. He was gonna teach her a lesson she’d never fucking forget. That woman knew exactly what to do to get under his skin. Fuck her and her fucking apologies. This was fucking underhanded manipulation and she knew it. Tora typed out his response furiously before throwing the car in gear, speeding towards her apartment. </p><p>11:17</p><p>
  <em>i swear to god poppylan. if that fucking door is unlocked when i get there i’m gonna spank you so hard you won’t be able to sit for a week.</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Welp. I think I need to change the ratings on this from Mature to Explicit bahahahaha. </p><p>Enjoy! Don't read this at work!</p><p>Songs:<br/>Addicted by Saving Abel  (Tora)<br/>Cater 2 U by Destiny’s Child (Poppy)</p><p>*Side note: I just found the "statistics" button and good lord, I am so flattered. I can't believe how many of you have subscribed for email updates when I post. 😱😭🥰  Gah! I'm smiling like an idiot. I can't tell y'all how happy it makes me to think that many of you enjoy my imagination. 😁❤️*</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                Tora pounded on the door, he <em>knew</em> it would be locked, he <em>knew</em> it was just a fucking ploy to get his stupid ass back over to hers but fuck him if he hadn’t played right into her hands. He was going to punish her for this. Fuck his promise of no sex. Not only was she going to be exhausted tomorrow he was gonna <em>brand</em> her to make sure she’d be forced to think about him every time she tried to walk or sit. Well, <em>after</em> he chucked those fucking flowers off the balcony if she’d been lying about that too. <em>I only want to be with you Tora</em>, he snorted at her remembered words as he banged on the door, she had better fucking mean that. He was going to make her swear those words again before he was through with her.</p><p>                Poppy approached her door hesitantly, his ruckus waking her from a dead sleep. Maybe turning off her phone had been a mistake, maybe she’d taken this a little too far? She powered it back on, reading his text and cringing at the three missed calls. She was ecstatic he was back but by the way her entire doorframe was shaking she supposed it was a safe bet he wasn’t in the mood for some open communication about their feelings. She moved to the door and reached for the door handle, the other stilling on her deadbolt as dread and arousal swept over her. He was mad. Really mad. She hadn’t just been playing with fire; she’d incited an inferno. His aggression shouldn’t excite her the way it did but fudge biscuits she was wet. He’d spanked her twice before, once had been playful, a foray into his sexual fantasies and preferences. She’d enjoyed it. The second had been after she’d told Quincey something she shouldn’t have. She’d loved every second of it. She really enjoyed their D/s dynamic but this was different though, the last few times he’d been calm, controlled. She shouted through the door, “on a scale of one to ten, how mad at me are you?” she asked timidly.</p><p>                “Fucking eleven. Open the god damn door Poppylan,” he rumbled loud enough for her to hear very clearly, his pounding finally ceasing.</p><p>                Poppy sucked in her lower lip apprehensively; she’d figured as much, “Listen Tora, I don’t think I can do that until you calm down a little. I’m really happy you’re back, I really do want to make up, I’m sorry I hurt your feelings. The flowers mean nothing to me. Will you forgive me?” he was silent a long moment, she pressed her ear to the door, listening for his response.</p><p>                Tora breathed in through his mouth and out through his nose, trying to calm down. She was right of course. He shouldn’t touch her when he was this angry. She was so small; he worried about hurting her a lot, even when he was intentionally giving her a little pain with her pleasure. His heartbeat slowed, his breathing evening out. “Open the door.” He ordered, mostly in control now.</p><p>                “Tora I-” she started before he cut her off, “I said open the fucking door Poppylan,” he commanded, in no mood for anymore fucking games.</p><p>She cracked the door, assessing him carefully, taking in the dark look on his face and fury in his eyes. She bit her lip, yup. She had definitely pushed him too far. He slammed his palm on the door, forcing it open further as she backed up slowly, away from him, keeping at least four feet between them at all times. Her heart was rattling around in her ribcage like a trapped bee in a jar. He closed the door behind him, snapping the deadbolt back in place before toeing off his shoes, glaring at her. “Come here.” He demanded. Yeah, there was no way she was doing that, she wasn’t stupid. Lambs did not just walk up to Lions when they asked nicely. She did have some survival instincts. If she went to him now he’d just bend her over his knee right there in her doorway. She needed to find a way to assuage him first before she took what was coming, she had no doubt he meant every word of his threat, Tora never bluffed. She turned tail and ran.</p><p>He caught her before she made it back to her bedroom, his arms circling her waist, hauling her off the ground and back against his chest. He held her until she stopped wriggling, her heartbeat thumping erratically against the forearm he had tucked securely under her breasts. “Tora,” she moaned, pleading for mercy, knowing she was in for it now. He carried her to the bed, tossing her on it before stripping out of his shirt, reaching for his belt buckle. Her hands covered his, stilling them. “I know you’re angry, let me make it up to you,” she pleaded, slipping off the bed and onto her knees, her face level with his crotch. She splayed her hands wide over his thighs, looking up at him, “please baby? I’m really sorry, let me show you how much I mean it. Ignoring me was punishment enough. I’ve been going out of my mind worried you wouldn’t come home tonight.” When he just continued to glare down at her she added, “let me take your stress away.”</p><p>                He eyed her suspiciously. He hadn’t expected this. Especially after she’d run. Did she mean it? Was she actually as upset about tonight as he was? He nodded slowly, threading his fingers through her hair as she slid her hand to his fly, releasing his belt before tugging down his zipper, pulling down his underwear, freeing him. He was already fully engorged from her wriggling after their little cat and mouse chase. She didn’t hesitate, engulfing him fully in her hot little mouth, knowing exactly what he needed right now.</p><p>                Poppy relaxed her throat for him, taking all of him in one movement. She’d gotten better at this over the months they’d been together. She’d been hesitant at first when she’d initially offered to do this for him but now she rather enjoyed it. It was fun hearing him moan and she loved pleasuring him. She’d do anything for this man. How could he doubt her feelings for him? She felt his fingers tangle in her hair as he pushed a little deeper. The ache between her thighs was alive and burning, she was almost looking forward to the spanking she knew was coming. She’d stay on her knees as long as it took for him to relax. Between the blow job and the fact the she hadn’t actually left the door unlocked, hopefully it wouldn’t be that bad, not that she actually minded that much. She’d cater to him tonight. Whatever he wanted, she’d give him. She’d do whatever it took to make things right again between them.</p><p>His hand fisted in her hair, holding her deep as she breathed calmly, steadily through her nose, her chin nestled against his balls. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, enjoying the feel of her throat contracting around him for a long moment. When she started to gag he tugged on her hair, pulling her head back, allowing her to breathe around him before guiding her back, encouraging her to deep throat him again. She was so fucking good at this. When he pulled her back again, she used her tongue to tease him, running it along the underside of his shaft, causing him to buck against her mouth. He gripped her jaw where it met her throat with his free hand, thrusting into her now, feeling how her throat swelled to accommodate him as he dipped into her. One of her hands gripped his forearm, anchoring herself as he fucked her mouth. The other slipped into her pyjama shorts, pleasuring herself as she pleased him. Tora stared down at her, fuck he loved that view, she was fucking incredible, she held his gaze. Something warm passing between them, he loved her submission, how cool she was with him, even when he was acting like an animal. He needed to get over himself. How could he possibly doubt her feeling for him when she did shit like this for him all the time? There wasn’t much she wouldn’t do for him. Sometimes it was hard to believe she had been a virgin just a few months ago. She sucked dick better than any experienced woman he’d ever had.</p><p>He tried to pull her off him, his eyes rolling back as she sucked, her lips a sealed tight ring around him. She stilled with his head still in her, her hand leaving her own sex to wrap around his, her fingers deliciously wet. She pumped him in her little fist as her tongue flicked over him, licking away his precum, swirling over his glands. She was killing him. There was no way he was going to last if she kept this up. He gathered her hair, sweeping it off her neck, wrapping it more firmly in his fist, tugging her up to her feet. She resisted him for a moment before finally letting his dick slid off her tongue and out of her mouth. He knew she enjoyed blowing him almost as much as he enjoyed letting her. She’d told him once that it made her feel powerful that she could unravel him like this. That she could control and command his whole body with just her talented little tongue.</p><p>She pushed her shorts off her hips letting them pool on the floor, crawling onto the bed without needing to be told, leaning on her forearms, presenting her ass to him, graciously embracing whatever he decided to dole out. He watched her, stroking himself. Was this about his pleasure this time then? He reached out, gripping an ass cheek in his fingers for a moment before massaging it under his palm. When she didn’t move or resist, he slapped it, just hard enough to leave a mark. She moaned. He smirked. He spanked her again, this time hard enough to leave a handprint. She hissed, her fists clenching her comforter, her face buried between them. He dipped two fingers inside her, she was soaked. He spanked her twice more, a little harder this time, leaving a matching handprint on the other opposite cheek before dropping to his knees, kissing her where he’d hit her, soothing the red burning skin with his mouth before sliding his tongue between her legs, making her buck back on his face. She was dripping for him. He stood, grabbing hold of her hips, his thumbs pressing into the dimples of her lower back as he slammed himself home, riding her with all the pent up annoyance and rage he’d felt all fucking night. He reached forward, tugging on her hair, forcing her up onto her hands before he crawled onto the bed with her, seating himself deeper within her, flattening her body under his so hers was flush with the mattress, his body weight crushing her. He wrapped a hand around her neck using his thumb to angle her head so he could kiss her from behind. The other hand pulled a tiny fist from the blankets, interlocking their fingers as he pumped himself inside her. Her hitched breathing and mewling encouraged him, he was close, her blow job having killed most of his stamina. She felt so fucking good.</p><p>Poppy writhed beneath him, trapped between a wall of muscle and the mattress, his heavy body enveloping hers. Her legs trapped together between his, his large hand over her throat the only thing keeping her upper body elevated off the bed as he crushed her backwards into his chest. She could feel the shift when he forgave her, when his thrusts waned from aggressive to loving. He moved his hands, slipping one under her to tease a nipple as the other slid beneath them both, seeking out her clit, rubbing it for her, coaxing her to completion. Her sweat dampened hair fell heavily to the side of her head as she moaned for him, leaving one side of her neck and a shoulder bare. Tora clamped his mouth down on her, pressing hot open mouthed kisses all along the skin there.</p><p>His breath was blistering against her ear as he whispered into it, “cum for me right now and I’ll forgive you.” She moaned long and low in response, her inner walls shuddering around his thick cock buried deep inside her. He pumped into her a few more times, ridding her release before stilling for his own, jerking inside her. He collapsed on top of her, his breathing ragged in her ear. He fucking loved the pill. They usually still used a condom just to double up but when they got passionate like this it was nice not having to stop for one all the time. He pushed himself off her, coming to his hands and knees. He smirked down at her bottom. He’d spanked her a little harder than he’d thought; he could very clearly see the outline of his hands. It appealed to the most primitive part of him. He crawled off her, moving to lie down beside her.</p><p>Poppy rolled onto her side gingerly, her bottom on fire, in order to face him, “I’m sorry again Tora, really. It didn’t occur to me until after you had left how awful I would feel if our positions were reversed. I also didn’t mean to hurt your feelings by telling you that you couldn’t stay. You know you’re always welcome in my home right?” she reassured him, pushing a sweat slicked strand of hair off his forehead.</p><p>He trapped her wrist in his grip, sliding his hand up to capture hers, drawing it to his mouth so he could kiss her fingers. “Naw Bobby, I’m the one that needs to apologize, I’m sorry I was a grumpy jealous asshole tonight. You’re right that I don’t let you sleep when I’m here. I’ll stop. You deserve to be able to get some rest without worrying about me running my hands all over ya. Thank you for getting rid of the flowers, I noticed they were gone when I came in.” He offered in exchange.</p><p>She smiled at him brilliantly, extremely relieved that things were okay between them again. She watched over her shoulder as he moved to the end of the bed, grabbing hold of her ankles, he gave her a firm tug, pulling her down the bed to him. She giggled as he gathered her in his arms and carried her to the shower.</p><p>He took his time washing the sweat from her body, apologizing with his hands for how rough he’d been with her. He could tell from her wincing that it stung anytime the water pelted her abused bottom. He felt bad about it, sort of. She knew what she was asking for when she’d sent that text. Besides, they’d had a long conversation months ago about her boundaries and spankings weren’t even remotely taboo with her. He’d feel worse about the pain if she hadn’t confessed to him the last time that she enjoyed the sting. He pressed a kiss to her forehead as they towelled off, she really was too good to him. </p><p>Poppy flung the damp comforter off the bed, she’d wash it tomorrow. Besides, she didn’t need it when Tora was here. His body heat kept her warm enough with just the sheet over them. They crawled in together, Tora pulling her in for a cuddle, his hand settling perfectly over one of handprints as they clung to each other in the dark. She smiled against his chest, snuggling against him. “Poppy,” Tora whispered to the ceiling.</p><p>She sighed, a yawn cracking her jaw. It was quickly approaching one in the morning and she desperately needed sleep. “Yeah Tora?”</p><p>He caressed her bottom, over his mark, “did you mean it? That you only want to be with me?” he asked, annoyed by his own neediness.</p><p>She exhaled slowly, already feeling the draw of sleep, his fingers on her sore bottom soothing her closer to unconsciousness, “yes, always. Only you Tora.” she whispered, her eyelids sliding closed under their own weight, “promise,” she muttered giving into her exhaustion.</p><p>Tora smiled to himself as he felt her go limp against him. He was a jealous fool. Of course those flowers weren’t a threat to their relationship. He was still going to figure out who the fuck had sent them though; but his sweet little Bobby didn’t need to know about his murderous thoughts. Nope, all his Bobby needed right now was sleep and he was going to make sure she got it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Enjoy! :) Let me know what you think! I'm so glad you all seemed to enjoy the last chapter so much! This one is SFW.</p><p>To answer some of your questions: Yes there is much more coming and yes the secret admirer will be revealed but not for another handful of chapters.</p><p>Song suggestions:<br/>Every Breath You Take by The Police (I don't care what anyone says, this is not a love song, it is most definitely written from the perspective of a stalker. No one has ever been able to convince me otherwise. :P  )</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Poppy winced as she eased herself into her desk chair, Tora’s matching handprints stinging deliciously. The bumpy bus ride had been hell, she’d only gotten a third of the way to work before she’d given up on sitting and just stood for the rest of her commute. Tora had still been rather aggressive despite her attempt to appease him with the blow job. She could only imagine how red her behind would have been if she had actually left her door unlocked. She sighed, doing her best not to move around too much. The heat radiating on the skin of her tushy was definitely going to keep her alert today as it bruised. She’d gotten about six hours sleep. Not that bad, definitely better than three. She’d left Tora in her bed, the lazy bugger arguing that he didn’t have anywhere to be this morning so he could sleep for as long as he wanted. She sighed longingly, thinking about how good he’d looked lounging naked with her sheet riding low over his hips. His hands laced behind his head, his arms flexing with the motion.</p><p>Erdene greeted her with a smile, shaking her from her day dream, “Hey Pops, someone left this for you at the front desk,” she said placing a rather large package in front of her.</p><p>Poppy grinned, hopeful it was the binders she’d ordered, she wanted to reorganize her workspace and she figured colour coating ‘to be done’, ‘in process’, and ‘ready for print’ was a good way to start. She tore into the box, Erdene watching on curiously. Poppy paled as she stared at the contents. Oh fudge biscuits. This was not good. She sighed in disappointment and frustration. Most men steered clear of her once they’d gotten a look at Tora, whoever this guy was, he must clearly not realize she was attached.</p><p>Erdene reached over her shoulder, snagging one of the containers, reading the nutrition label on the back, “Poppy? Really? What happened to your diet? Thought you were trying to eat better? Why did you order all this crap? Thought Mr. Muscles was helping you with healthy meals.” A devious smile spread over her face, “Did you order all your snacks here so you could munch without him knowing?” she teased, only half joking.</p><p>Poppy scrunched up her face in annoyance, “he is yeah,” she had asked Tora to help her meal plan a few weeks ago when she had expressed the desire to drop a few pounds. She had figured no one looked like him without knowing a little about nutrition. He had straight up refused, assuring her that her weight was fine until she had convinced him it wasn’t about being dissatisfied with her body but more about health, “and no, I didn’t order any of this stuff, I have no idea who sent it to me.” She reached back into the box, pulling out the computer printed note, reading it over.</p><p>
  <em>Dear Poppylan,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>When I saw you first, it took every ounce of me not to kiss you. When I saw you laugh, it took every ounce of me not to fall in love. And when I saw your soul – it took every ounce of me. You are as sweet as the summer day is long; I hope you enjoy every ounce of these. Some sweets for sweetness itself. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Eternally devoted to you,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Your secret admirer</em>
</p><p>Poppy cringed. Erdene finished reading over her shoulder a moment later, “well that’s pretty high on the creepy scale isn’t it?” She asked, her hands on her hips, a concerned look on her face, “Tora’s flowers yesterday were beautiful; this though,” she tossed the package of chocolate covered pretzels back into the box, “this is just, disturbing.”</p><p>Poppy bit her lip, she hadn’t let Erdene read the note yesterday, she’d just told her in passing the flowers were from Tora when she’d asked, “He didn’t send the bouquet, I thought he did but it was someone else. He was pretty mad about it last night actually,” she shifted uncomfortably, her bruising bottom screaming warnings at her, she could only imagine what he was going to have to say about this.</p><p>Erdene sat down on the edge of her desk, she studied Poppy’s worried face, trying to come up with something to say to comfort her clearly upset friend, “Well he shouldn’t be that surprised. You’re gorgeous Pops, I’m surprised you don’t have more guys banging down your door. I’ll toss them for you girl, don’t worry about Tora, we can keep this a secret just between you and I,” she offered.</p><p>Poppy shook her head vehemently, “No! Absolutely not! Do you have any idea how upset he’ll be if he finds out about this later and realizes I didn’t tell him? Nope. That’s a whole lot of <em>nope</em> right there. I should probably call him right now and tell him.” She reached for her purse on the floor at her feet, the movement scraping her bottom across her chair, she winced. Her face filling with uncertainty, “Actually, maybe you’re right... He doesn’t need to know right this minute, I’ll tell him tonight… Later…. Still today, just not right now.” There was no sense in just telling him about the gift, if she didn’t placate him it would just rile him up again. She’d tell him in person when she could kiss him and hold him and assure him that this didn’t flatter her anymore, quite the opposite. It discomforted the hell out of her.</p><p>Erdene eyed her skeptically, what the hell was up with her? “You do what you want girl. I’ll keep my mouth shut either way. Do you want me to chuck these?” she asked, lifting the edge of the box.</p><p>Poppy eyed all her favourite snacks longingly until she realized they <em>were</em> all her <em>favourite</em> snacks. Her eyes widened as her heart’s rhythm became erratic. A whine escaped her throat as she fought off a terrifying thought. Was this creep someone close to her? How the hell did he know she loved confetti pancake skewers? She paled, whipping her head around, scrutinizing her coworkers. Jacob looked up and gave her a funny look, “You okay Pops?” he asked, concern obvious in his tone.</p><p>Erdene replied for her, “Some creep is sending her gifts; first the flowers yesterday and now some junk food.” She explained, tilting the box so Jacob could see the contents. </p><p>Jacob frowned, getting up from his desk to walk over, he had noticed the flowers yesterday, the whole office had, but he hadn’t commented assuming they were from her greek god of a boyfriend, “well that’s not going to help your diet is it Pops?” he joked, he examined the contents, picking out a chocolate bar, “Mind if I take this? These are my favourite.” He asked seriously.</p><p>Erdene rolled her eyes, Poppy bit her lip in indecision, “You can take whatever you want but Jacob, what if it’s… contaminated.” She whispered the last word.</p><p>Jacob laughed and looked over the wrapping closely, “this doesn’t looked messed with in anyway Poppy, you been reading more urban legends about meddled with Halloween candy?” he asked referring to an article that had freaked her out a few weeks ago.</p><p>Poppy crossed her arms, “No,” she glared at him, “if you get sick though that’s on you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”</p><p>Jacob laughed as he took the chocolate back to his desk, tossing it into a drawer for later. Erdene turned to Poppy, “okay, what are you going to do?” she asked seriously, jerking her head towards the box.</p><p>She sighed dejectedly, “I have no idea Erdene, but I’m starting to feel a little scared, whoever is sending me gifts knows where I work and knows enough about me to know what I like. There isn’t a single thing in that box I wouldn’t eat.” She explained nervously.</p><p>Erdene narrowed her eyes at the box, she felt cold, the creepy factor radiating off the package skyrocketing at Poppy’s words.</p><p>~             ~              ~</p><p>                Poppy emptied the contents of the box into the garbage can out front of Goldfish Publishing as publically as possible. If lover boy was watching she hoped it would send a very clear message. She ripped up the box and shoved that into the can as well. She was feeling more than a little helpless; there was no return address on the box and no one had been acting any differently at work with her today. She wasn’t sure what frightened her more, the possibility that this was someone she knew, that was close to her, or the notion that a stranger might know so much about her. She felt terrible for wasting the food and she’d wanted to donate it but the idea that it may be tampered with in some way terrified her enough to ensure she did no such thing. Jacob’s chocolate bar had seemed okay, he certainly hadn’t seemed to have any adverse effects to it after he ate it at lunch but one could never be too careful. She glanced around; no one seemed to be paying her any attention. She headed for the bus stop.</p><p>                She was still lost in thought when the bus pulled up out front of her apartment. She sighed, stepping onto the sidewalk, adjusting the straps of her bags over her shoulders. She’d show the pictures she’d taken of the box and the note to Tora tonight whenever he showed up, well, if he showed up. Quincey made him work such irregular hours. Sometimes he wouldn’t come at all, but the man had an affinity for popping up at her door at the strangest hours. She was so sick of him disrupting her sleep by showing up unannounced in the middle of the night that she’d given him a key this morning before she left for work. He’d probably still wake her up but at least she didn’t have to get out of bed for him anymore. He’d just let himself in whenever he decided to roll up.</p><p>She sighed to herself, pushing open the gate, accessing the parking lot, her eyes glancing around for any sign of his car. She forced away her disappointment; she could have used a hug right about now. She rummaged around in her purse until she located her keys, her hand wrapping around the tiny Tiger plushy hanging off her key ring as she withdrew them and let herself into the building.</p><p>                She had climbed four steps before remembering to check the mail, she twisted on the stairs frowning down at the mail wall below and to her right, her hand stilling on the railing. She debated with herself for a moment before sighing and heading back down the stairs. She’d been neglecting to collect it the past few days. Sometimes she missed not having the responsibility of being an independent adult. She certainly missed when her father had paid all the bills and all she’d had to worry about was school. She sighed, inserting her key into the small silver door before twisting and opening it, reaching in to grab the ridiculously large pile. She stuffed the lot of it into her book bag and turned back to the stairs. She’d go through it later; she was too tired to worry about bills right now.</p><p>                Poppy kicked off her shoes and leaned against the back of her door after locking it. She was exhausted. Last night had taken a lot out of her. God knew she was crazy about that man but my goodness he could be draining. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting her shoulders relax, enjoying how good it felt to be home, to be free. She hadn’t brought any work home with her tonight, all she wanted to do was put on some comfy clothes, order a pizza and take a nap. She dropped her bags in the doorway and padded her way to the bedroom, stripping as she went, letting her clothes drop wherever she’d discarded them. She’d clean them up later. By the time she’d gotten rid of her bra she had forgotten about eating entirely, her bed looked so inviting. Tora hadn’t made it for her, he never did. It was rumpled and a mess and she wanted to fall into it desperately. She turned back to the door, collecting her phone from her purse, setting an alarm for two hours from then. She tossed her soiled comforter back onto the bed before crawling in, pulling the blankets around her, snuggling into her pillow. She inhaled deeply, enjoying the lingering smell of him on her sheets as she gave into her fatigue, letting her body relax, enveloped in his scent. She slept, oblivious to the unassuming package resting untouched in her book bag.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>And so the plot thickens. Tora goes from domestic cat to an angry tiger... :P  </p><p>Can't wait to read your thoughts!! I'm loving all your guesses some of them have me straight up howling. </p><p>Songs:<br/>The Girl by City &amp; Colour (Tora)<br/>One Headlight by The Wallflowers (Tora's feature song)<br/>Follow You Home by Nickelback (Poppy's creep)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tora parked and unfolded himself from the car, pausing to stretch his legs. He thought seriously for a moment about buying a truck. They fit him a lot better, way more leg room but they were so inconvenient to park in the city. Maybe an SUV? Fuck, who was he kidding? He was all about speed and that shit would never be able to go fast enough for him. He shook off his thoughts, dooming himself to forever have leg cramps. He reached back in the car, grabbing the two grocery bags sitting on the passenger seat before slamming the door behind him. He fiddled with his keys, finding the new ones Bobby had given him that morning before letting himself into her building. The fact she was giving him unrestricted access to her place anytime he wanted made him smile. It felt good that she trusted him so much. He took the steps two at a time. He was in a good mood, well, for him anyways. He’d slept the whole morning after Poppy had left, finally crawling out of her bed after eleven to go meet up with Quincey. It was just after six now, he really hoped she hadn’t eaten yet, he wanted to make her dinner, to thank her and apologize for last night, he imagined her ass probably still hurt, he chuckled, he liked the idea of his hands branded on her.</p><p>He unlocked her apartment door and pushed it open, it was surprisingly quiet, Poppy usually had music going. It was rare for her to hangout in silence. The door caught on her purse. That wasn’t like her either, she had such a small space she was usually quite adamant about putting things away so it didn’t appear cluttered. He stepped in quietly closing the door behind him. He only had to take a few steps into the apartment before a wide grin split his face. His lovable little hamster was dreaming, fast asleep, her face scrunched into the most adorable expression, barely visible considering the way she had cocooned herself in the blankets. He bit his tongue to prevent himself from laughing and waking her. Instead he stooped over, collecting her discarded clothing before tossing them into her laundry hamper, careful not to wake her.</p><p>He moved to the kitchen setting down his bags before unpacking them, he was going to make her marinade chicken breasts on a bed of quinoa and vegetables. She was probably going to whine about it but she was the one that had asked for healthy meals. He’d gone out of his way to buy another double chocolate caramel muffin for her as desert but he’d keep that a secret until after she’d eaten her meal. She’d probably try to resist it for a few hours before she scarfed it. Or that cute thing she did when she’d tell him she was only going to eat half of something and then would tear little pieces off it until it was gone as the night wore on. He chuckled to himself. He should feel ashamed of himself for purposely trying to foil her diet while also appearing supportive but fuck if he didn’t love that body of hers. She was so damn soft, didn’t she know he liked having something to grab and hold at night? If she lost anything off that ass he was going to be very disappointed. She was fucking perfect the way she was, she was plenty healthy. He smirked to himself, fairly certain the meal and the muffin would balance out to keep her just the way she was.</p><p> He preheated the stove and prepped the chicken as quietly as possible. She obviously needed her sleep and even though he’d failed yesterday, he was determined to show her today that they could share the same space without him having to touch her. After he had prepped the vegetables he headed back to the door, taking a moment to put her purse on the hook and rest her work bag against her desk. He cursed when it flopped over. He stared at her, frozen, only letting out the breath he’d been holding when she rolled over, still fast asleep. He crouched, righting the bag when he noticed the ads sticking out of the edge of the flap. He flipped it open, shaking his head as he pulled out the pile of mail. She really should check it more often.</p><p>He sifted through it as he made his way back to the kitchen, ad, ad, ad, bill. He set the rest of the pile on the counter and opened the bill, he knew she stretched herself a little thin and he liked helping her out however she’d let him. Hydro, a hundred bucks. He reached in his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, pulling two hundred dollar bills from it, he pinned both the bill and the money to the side of her fridge under one of her animal magnets next to the only photo he had allowed of the two of them. He rolled his eyes at it. She was such a sap. Of course she’d put it on display. It had been a bit of an awkward conversation when he’d explained to her that she couldn’t take pictures with him or put pictures of him or them on her social media. That their relationship couldn’t be public like that. He sighed, staring at it dejectedly, it was just another reminder of the concessions she made to be with him.</p><p>                He hadn’t even let her change her status to ‘in a relationship’ either; he’d just told her to remove that portion of her page entirely instead of leaving it as ‘single’. He wished he could do better by her, not show up in the middle of the night, not put so many restrictions on her, not disrespect her sleep just ‘cause he was horny and missed her. He made so many demands of her and she rarely asked him for anything. Hell, she’d probably fight him on the money when she woke up. He ate more than half her groceries though, and used her shower. He could contribute couldn’t he? He’d paid her bills a few times but she was always reticent about it. She always gave in eventually though, especially when he told her it made him feel a little less shitty about what a crap partner he was.</p><p>Hell, he barely ever took her on dates. They just spent most of their time here, at Quincey’s or in his car. He’d taken her to the movies twice and both times they’d had to leave halfway through when Vince had texted him in a tither saying he needed to get his ass somewhere. She had just frowned and followed him out of the theatre without a word about it. He scowled at the memory. He knew she’d been disappointed but the next time he’d suggested they go see something she’d been interested in, she’d just turned him down and said she’d wait for it to come to Netflix. His brows dipped even lower as he moved away from the fridge to pour the Qinoa into a pot. She’d also only been to his apartment once and that had only been because he needed something and she’d been with him at the time. He could tell by the expression on her face at the time that she hadn’t liked being there. He sighed, turning away from the stove and back to the pile. He’d never brought her back; he didn’t like being there much either.</p><p>                More ads, another bill, he chucked that to the side for later, the extra hundred he’d pinned to the fridge should help, a letter from her Gran, he rolled his eyes, <em>sentimental women</em> he thought as he pinned it to the front of the fridge for her next to the last one she’d sent. The last thing in the pile was a thin square package. He flipped it over in his hands; there was no return address on it. That was weird. He placed his fingers on the edge of it, intent on tearing it open when he stopped himself. Opening her bills was one thing, opening her packages…technically that was felony, a stupid one. He wanted to laugh at himself, he killed people for fucks sake and he was hesitating to open mail? Well, he supposed it had less to do with the legality of the action and more to do with her privacy. He was curious though. He fiddled with the package, trying to figure out what it could be. He set it down on the counter. She’d told him once that she was okay with not having answers to all the burning questions she had about him, that she would respect his privacy. She knew he was a thug, that he did bad shit and that being a bodyguard was only part of his job but she’d never asked for details. He supposed in exchange the least he could do was wait for her to open it herself. He set it back down on the counter to wait for her.</p><p>~            ~           ~</p><p>                Poppy let her eyelids flutter open as a pleasant aroma filled her nostrils, she rolled onto her back before immediately flipping back on her side, wincing. She’d bet a hundred dollars her tush was black and blue by now. She noticed the music next, smiling to herself. Tora was here. One Headlight by The Wallflowers was one of the only songs he liked from her playlist. She hummed along to it for a moment, sliding out of bed, wrapping the sheet around her as she made her way to the kitchen noticing the small things he’d done around the space.</p><p>                Tora heard her before she appeared in the doorway, “Hey sleeping beauty,” he greeted her, doing his best to ignore the physical reaction he was having to seeing her draped in a sheet. She was holding the corners together in her tiny fist, the gap parting at her hip to reveal all of her creamy leg and the strap of her thong. He smirked; she’d worn it because her full underwear had rubbed uncomfortably against his handprints when he’d watched her get dressed this morning.</p><p>                Poppy smiled warmly at him, excited that he’d made her dinner. This was much better than pizza. She stepped towards him, reaching for him with her free hand. His arms circled her, pressing his mouth to hers for a quick kiss before releasing her. “Hey yourself,” she greeted in return, smiling up at him, “smells good.”</p><p>                He kissed her forehead, “it’s just about ready, go get dressed,” he instructed, watching as she disappeared from the kitchen. He’d turned on the music to wake her knowing she’d stay up way too late if he let her sleep much longer. Plus, he’d concede he was greedy and wanted her attention.</p><p>                She sauntered back in a minute later, dressed, pulling down plates for them from the cupboard, “this is a nice surprise. What’s the occasion?” she asked curiously. Usually she had to invite him over for him to come by at a reasonable hour.</p><p>                Tora smirked at her, “Do I need an occasion? What happened to ‘you know you’re always welcome in my home’?” he teased, pulling the chicken from the oven, resting it on the stove. He waved his fingers at her for a plate.</p><p>                She handed it to him giggling, “how long have you been here? Thanks for tidying up,” she paused, yawning, the nap had definitely helped but she was still tired, “you didn’t have to do that.”</p><p>                He shrugged, “lil’ over an hour, happy to,” he replied, scooping the quinoa and veggies on her plate before adding the chicken, “I found your mail, Hydro is due at the end of the week, don’t fight me on the money this time, and your Gran wrote ya, and you got whatever the fuck that is.” He explained pointing with one finger at the package on the counter as he gripped the serving spoon with the rest of them.</p><p>                Poppy smiled, eyeing the money he had pinned to the fridge, he was so sweet, he might not be one for flowers but he showed his affection for her in other ways, “Thanks Tora,” she murmured reaching for the package nervously. She hadn’t ordered anything in a while, she picked it up hesitantly.</p><p>                Tora studied her, setting down the plate in his hand, her good mood had vanished, if anything she looked pale, she wasn’t opening it, she was just staring at it with an apprehensive look on her face. “You okay sweetheart?” he inquired, cupping her cheek with one hand, tilting her face up to look at him.</p><p>                She shook her head, “No Tora, I’m actually really freaked out, I really hope this isn’t what I think it is. I don’t want any more gifts.” She explained, gazing up at him with worried eyes.</p><p>                He frowned, taking the package from her, ripping it open. It was a CD, a mixed CD someone had made for her. Her photo was on the cover, he flipped it over, reading over the song list someone had jotted in sloppy chicken scratch printing.</p><ol>
<li>Invisible – Clay Aiken</li>
<li>Look After You – The Fray</li>
<li>Should Be Me – Inigo Pascual</li>
<li>I’ll Be – Edwin McCain</li>
<li>Hello – Lionel Richie</li>
<li>I Need – Radiohead</li>
<li>You Belong To Me – Carly Simon</li>
<li>It’s Been Awhile – Staind</li>
<li>Can I Be Him – James Arthur</li>
<li>Let Me Love You - Mario</li>
<li>I Will Possess your Heart – Death Cab For Cutie</li>
<li>One Way Or Another - Blondie</li>
<li>See You Soon – Coldplay</li>
</ol><p>Tora paled as he read the final title. He was going to kill this motherfucker. Poppy tugged it from his hands, reading it over for herself, her breathing getting shakier with every title. She knew most of them. She <em>liked </em>most of them, now though, now she never wanted to hear any of them ever again. She opened it, knowing there had to be a note, there was always a note. A piece of paper floated to the floor, a whimper escaping her throat. Tora picked it up, reading it over without a word; his face a dark cloud of thunder before he handed it to her.</p><p>
  <em>Dear Poppylan,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I fell in love with a music box. You were a music box, with your lid shut so tight, just waiting to see who was lovely enough to want to hear something beautiful, just waiting to see who cared enough to open you up. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I hope this will help you open your heart to me. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Eternally devoted to you,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Your Secret Admirer</em>
</p><p>Poppy wanted to cry, she knew that poem. It had never seemed so threatening before. She looked up at Tora, terror painted across her features; he pulled her in for a tight hug, his expression still dark. He just bet the only thing this motherfucker wanted her to open up for him was her heart. Fucking creepy pervert. “I’m going to figure out who the fuck this guy is and I’m going to tear him apart. He’s not going to ‘see you soon’, he’s not gonna see you <strong><span class="u">ever</span></strong>, he’s not gonna get anywhere near ya. You hear me Poppylan, you’re mine sweetheart and no one else is gonna touch ya. I’m gonna take care of this okay?” she nodded weakly into his chest.</p><p>                She suppressed her tears, tilting her face up to look at him, “Tora he sent me something else. I got it today at work. I was going to tell you over dinner.” She ventured timidly.</p><p>                Tora felt his heart plummet, he squeezed her tighter, “what was it?” he growled.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter just makes me happy. :) I'm really loving your commentary, some of you are so creative with your guesses! None of you have got it so far though. :P Chapter 8 Mr. Creepypants will be revealed, only to you though, Tora and Poppy are gonna have to wait a few more chapters before they figure it out. hahahhaha :P</p><p>*Also, for those of you who tell me you hit refresh all morning waiting for the next chapter, I'm sorry for updating so late but I had a pretty late night with my sister and bottle of wine and wasn't feeling my best when I woke up this morning if ya know what I mean :P Sorry. Hahaha*</p><p>Song suggestions:<br/>Can You Protect Me by Nasri (Poppy)<br/>I Do It For You by Brian Adams (Tora)<br/>Mine by 1975 - Chapter feature</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She suppressed her tears, tilting her face up to look at him, “Tora he sent me something else. I got it today at work. I was going to tell you over dinner.” She ventured timidly.</p><p>                Tora felt his heart plummet, he squeezed her tighter, “what was it?” he growled. How dare this creepy fucker scare her? He was already brainstorming ways to torture this guy once he got his hands on him. He never wanted to see her like this ever again. She was supposed to be happy, carefree. If she got paranoid, always looking over her shoulder the way he did…he wouldn’t go there. He’d take care of this before it got to that.</p><p>                She pushed away from him, hearing her alarm sounding in the other room, “I’ll show you,” she whispered, disappearing for a moment before returning with her phone. She opened her gallery and handed the cellular device to him. He frowned as he read the message and took in the box of candy and chocolate he’d sent her. He sighed; at least it wasn’t as threatening as the music seemed to be.</p><p>                Poppy eyed him cautiously, a little surprised he didn’t seem as tense as he had a moment ago, “Tora, he knows all my favourites.” She whispered fearfully.</p><p>                Tora’s body’s snapped ridged again, fingering her screen he zoomed in on the box, looking over each item carefully. He looked up from the phone and straight ahead, trying to think of a way to hunt this guy. Was he watching her? Following her? How did he know her address, her food preferences? Work was easy; her damn name was listed on the website. The other stuff though…oh fuck, website…the fucking internet. How many times had he heard Gyu lecture about how stupid people were? Fuck, fuck, fuck. “Pull up your Instagram for me, and your facebook,” he ordered, handing her back her phone, when she stared at him he added gruffly, “now Poppylan.”</p><p>                She did as she was told quickly before handing her phone back to him. Tora scrolled through her photos studying the backgrounds, pictures of her art, pictures of food, pictures of her and her friends from work, pictures of her and her Gran, too many photos of her in the apartment, fuck, there it was, he zoomed in. She’d taken a selfie in the kitchen, one of her Gran’s letters on the fridge behind her, her address written plain as day. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. He wanted to wring her neck. How could she be so careless? Did she ever fucking listen to him? “Poppy,” he glared at her, trying to decide what to say to her.</p><p>                She nibbled her lip, she knew he was upset with her again, she could tell from the way he said her name. She flinched at his tone, “whatever I did I’m sorry Tora, please don’t be mad at me right now. I’m upset, I need you on my side, I can’t fight with you again.” She pleaded.</p><p>                 He inhaled and exhaled slowly, glaring at the ceiling for patience, he ran his palm over his face before responding, picking his words carefully, “sweetheart, I’m upset because I worry about your safety constantly, and you just do these things that drive me nuts, like leaving the damn door unlocked. I get that they’re normal things that normal people do but Poppy, I’m not a normal man. You can’t be this careless. There are a lot of bad people out there that prey on people like you. You’re gonna give me a fucking heart attack if you keep doing shit like this.” He handed her back her phone, still zoomed in on her address. She deleted the photo and looked up at him sorrowfully. He cupped her face in his hands, “You mean the world to me Poppylan, I get mad because I care, don’t ever think I’m not on your side. I don’t even know for sure if this is how he found you but even if he is following you this is probably a safe bet as to how he knew your apartment number.” He explained, caressing her cheek with his thumb.</p><p>                Poppy felt hopeless, “but Tora,” she objected, “everything is private, only my friends can see that stuff.” She gasped at her own words, she moaned, oh god. It was a friend.</p><p>                Tora looked at her skeptically, as far as he was aware passwords had never been an issue for Gyu. “Sweetheart, how many times have I told you locks are just theatre? If someone wants in, they’ll find a way.” He knew that better than most, he had yet to ever be stopped by a locked door.</p><p>Poppy frowned at his words feeling like she was back at square one, this person was back to being literally anyone. She wasn’t sure whether that was comforting or more disturbing. Either way this person knew where she lived. “Tora can I ask something of you, it’s a big ask but I won’t feel at ease otherwise. Especially after what you just said.” She ventured fretfully.</p><p>He eyed her suspiciously, “Depends, ask first. Then I’ll decide,” he replied crossing his arms, leaning against the counter. If she asked for mercy for this asshole out of her Mother Theresa complex the answer was fuck no. He didn’t give a shit who this guy turned out to be. He was a dead man for making her feel frightened in her own home.</p><p>She inhaled deeply, building her courage, unsure of his potential reaction, “will you move in? Just for a while? I don’t want to be here alone if he knows where I live,” she gushed pleadingly.</p><p>Tora blinked at her in surprise, he narrowed his brows, thinking seriously about it, it wouldn’t really be that big of an adjustment, he slept here most nights anyways, he was almost never at his own place, maybe two nights a week, if that. Hell she’d already given him a drawer. He cocked his head, “Are you asking me to stay with you for a while or actually move my shit in here?” he clarified.</p><p>Poppy shrugged, “whichever you’re most comfortable with, I would assume you’d want your things. Who knows how long it will take you to find him?” she replied as casually as possible despite the frantic beating of her heart. If she couldn’t alert the police she wanted him around as much as humanly possible. She needed to do something to help ease the queasy feeling in her gut and he always made her feel safe. She wanted to alert the police but Tora had made it very clear to her months ago that the cops were not to be called if she were ever in trouble, that she should always contact him instead. She doubted the police would find or deal with this guy any faster than he would anyways after the way inspector Lane had reacted to her original report about Tora. She swallowed; she had no doubt Tora would ‘take care of this’ in a way that would ensure she wouldn’t need to worry about it anymore. The thought both comforted and made her want to throw up at the same time. She wasn’t an idiot, she knew who he was. It wasn’t something they ever openly discussed but he’d showed up at her door with blood on him enough times that she didn’t need to ask what ‘take care of this’ meant.  </p><p>He frowned, really, she should just come live with him, getting her out of the apartment was the smart thing to do but he doubted that would be any safer. He wasn’t about to have her come live on Ares Street, besides, he doubted she’d leave her plants without a fight and his place didn’t get enough sunlight for them to survive anyways. “Alright Bobby, I’ll play house wit’ ya for a while.” He agreed.</p><p>She cocked a brow at him, “house? Really Tora?” she deadpanned, not the least bit amused, didn’t he know how serious this was to her? “that’s how you’re gonna think of it? How about live in bodyguard?” she countered. She really wasn’t sure how she felt about her own request. She knew she wanted him around, his presence always made her feel safer but it would probably be a little awkward when the time came for him to go back to his own place wouldn’t it?</p><p>He laughed, “normally I don’t fuck my clients,” he teased, “look, call it whatever makes ya happy, I’m buying a tv though and bringing my game system. I’m gonna need something to do when you’re having your ‘I wanna be alone’ moments. Also, I’m driving you to and from work every day from now on and you’re turning on your phone’s GPS and giving me access to it.” He informed her, finally plating his own dinner. She didn’t respond and when he turned to face her again she was frowning. They’d had this conversation a few times and he wasn’t in the mood for her objections about him knowing her location at any given time, not under these circumstances, “I know what you’re thinking and I don’t care how you feel about your privacy right now. You’re giving me access to your phone’s GPS and that’s final Poppy.”</p><p>Poppy blinked at him, realizing he’d misinterpreted her silence, “oh no Tora, I understand, I’m just wondering where you think you’re going to fit a tv in here.” She said, gesturing out at the main room of the apartment.</p><p>Tora didn’t miss a beat, “over your dresser, I’ll move your mirror,” he replied, moving into the main room, placing his dish on the table. Poppy followed him, not sure how to feel about how quickly he’d responded. He’d obviously thought about it before. Did that mean he was bored when he was over? Or that he had thought about living with her before?</p><p>They ate in silence for a while before Tora spoke, “Look Poppy, I know you’re gonna give me a hard time about this but if I’m bringing my shit here that means I’m bringing my,” he paused a moment trying to find a substitute for ‘guns’, “weapons.” He eyed her cautiously, pressing on despite her frown, “Before you ask, I’ll keep them opposite your art corner but I can’t leave them behind. If I have to work, I’m not wasting time going to fetch them, adding time to leaving you vulnerable. GPS access and my guns. Those are my conditions… If you’re actually serious about this.”</p><p>Poppy nodded, “I’m dead serious Tora, and I understand. I don’t like it, but I understand.” The idea of guns in her apartment made her extremely uncomfortable. It was an undeniable reminder for her that Tora was part of the wrong side of the law. It also always made her a little uncomfortable to see how at ease with them he was. Prior to today his desire to be able to track her had always seemed invasive and controlling. Now though, she would admit it probably wasn’t the worst idea in the world, and when this was all over she’d just revoke the permission. She was sure he respected her enough to not abuse the privilege. They didn’t say a word to each other as they ate, each lost in their own thoughts.</p><p>Once they had finished he got up and disappeared, reappearing a moment later with a paper bag in his hand. “Here sweetheart, I picked this up for you today, I hope it makes ya feel a bit better about all this. I’ll start moving my shit in tomorrow while you’re working.” He offered, retaking his seat next to her.</p><p>Poppy beamed at him after peering into the bag, “you’re awesome Tora. Thank you.” She told him, already bringing the muffin to her mouth.</p><p>Tora watched her eat as he sifted through his thoughts; he couldn’t be with her every minute of the day. Vince would make sure of that. Concern flooded his face; he hated the idea of leaving her by herself in the apartment. He didn’t like his next line of thought and he sure as fuck knew she wouldn’t like it either. Hell, she’d probably fight him tooth and nail on it but he was going to show her how to handle a revolver whether she liked it or not. Leaving her unarmed when he wasn’t around wasn’t an option. Not until he knew what he was dealing with a little better. He really hoped it was just some run of the mill obsessed creep, all bark and no bite.</p><p>He watched as she collected their plates and headed to the kitchen to clean them. He sighed, this was not the night he had been hoping for, and it certainly wasn’t the way he’d hoped their relationship would move forward. He should be disquieted by moving in with her under these circumstances but if he were being honest with himself he was delighted by the idea, no matter how it came to pass. He’d been ecstatic about the keys but actually being able to refer to this place as <em>their</em> home instead of <em>her</em> home made him practically giddy. Not that thugs ever got giddy, he would never admit to that kind of emotion. He got up and followed her to the kitchen. He knew she was still upset, he wanted to comfort her.</p><p>Poppy moved the dish cloth over the already clean dish in circular motions absentmindedly, soft piano and jazz floating in from her laptop speakers, she smiled to herself, she loved this song. She swayed to it, closing her eyes, a soft smile creeping over her features for the first time since discovering the CD. She sensed Tora watching her before she felt him, coaxing the cloth out of her hand gently, pulling her into his arms, lacing one of her arms around his neck, clasping the other hand in his, his free hand pressing lightly against the small of her back as he swayed softly with her. She pressed her cheek against his heart, enjoying the strong steady beat and the relaxing song.</p><p>He could feel the tension leaving her body as she relaxed against him. Tora held the small woman, his heart, in his arms, slow dancing with her in the kitchen to Mine by 1975. He liked the song, he’d never admit it to her but it made him smile and think of her every time he heard it. It surprised him sometimes how someone so small could hold such a big part of him. She was his everything. He pressed her tighter to him, his expression both pained and hopeful. Maybe one day, if he was lucky, she’d tell him she loved him. That she cared for him the way he cared for her.</p><p>~             ~             ~</p><p>                Poppy woke to the sound of her alarm, Tora’s arm tightening where it was slung around her waist in reflex to the sound. He pulled her into his body, preventing her from getting up after she’d silenced the annoying beeping, his mouth trailing kisses over her neck. “Tora,” she giggled, “I have to get up, and so do you if you’re driving me,” she reminded him. He sighed, relinquishing his hold on her. Of course she was right but fuck it’d been a long night for him. Not touching her had been hell, especially when she’d rolled on top of him in the middle of the night, muttering his name in her sleep. She’d slept though and that’s what was important. Her eyes were bright this morning, the bags under them gone. He reached out, brushing his thumb over her cheek. She looked happy. She should always look like this. He glanced at her digital clock, sighing in disappointment. He doubted they had time for even a quickie this morning.</p><p>                She watched with amusement as Tora adjusted his morning wood, climbing out of bed. “Want me to help you with that?” she offered already heading to the shower.</p><p>                He yawned, “Fuck yeah, but we don’t have time if you want your tea this morning, maybe ya can make it up to me tonight sweetheart.” He replied, winking at her as he pulled on his pants from the previous evening. “Go get ready,” he encouraged when she just stood there staring at him longingly.</p><p>                Poppy smiled as she finished in the bathroom, fixing her still damp hair into French braids. Tora hadn’t touched her last night, just held her, going out of his way to cuddle and comfort her after their unexpected slow dance in the kitchen. Periodically reassuring her all night that he’d protect her and she had nothing to fear. Then this morning, he’d put her tea before his sexual needs. He was so sweet; she didn’t know why he insisted on the tough guy persona all the time. If he ever let other people see the parts of him that he kept reserved only for her, no one would cower away from him. She knew the stares got to him sometimes; it broke her heart to know he felt so excluded and unaccepted all the time. She frowned at her own reflection, her heart aching. He was so good to her. She was determined to make every minute he spent with her as happy as possible. He might not feel he belonged very often but he most certainly had a place with her and she was going to do whatever she could to prove it to him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Oh boy, I'm pretty sure I remember Tora saying something about Poppy being careless...</p><p>Can't wait to read your reactions. :D</p><p>Song suggestions:<br/>Here With Me by Marshmellow (Poppy thinking about Tora)<br/>Better With You by 3LAU &amp; Justin Caruso (Tora)<br/>To be with you by Mr. Big (Mr. Creepypants)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                Tora’s rage just increased with every word that came through his speakers, he’d popped the CD on the minute Poppy had climbed out of his car, insisting she could pick up her morning tea without him. He listened carefully, wanting to get to know this guy. To get an idea of what the fuck he was thinking, ‘if I were invisible then I could just watch you in your room’ was not an encouraging lyric to hear. The singer was a fucking creep for coming up with this song to begin with, he felt bad for whoever the unlucky person was it was written about. He punched the skip button on his sound system as he watched Poppy smile at everyone she passed on the street, the gesture of kindness just making him angrier as he listened to the lyrics of the next song. No wonder she had a fucking stalker, she was way too nice to everyone. He knew she had a bitch face, he’d seen it, many times, it was fucking scary. She needed to use it more often. ‘It’s always have and never hold, you’ve begun to feel like home yeah’ he stabbed the skip button again, fuck this guy, Poppy was <em>his </em>home, his to look after and protect, not this motherfucker’s.</p><p>                The next song had him physically growling, ‘Honey, he’s a fool to think he’ll give you what you need, it should be me, I’m much more your type than all those guys, don’t you agree? So tell me what I gotta do to be the one you choose,’ did this mean this guy knew about him? Was he trying to convince Poppy to leave him? Or just that she should be with him? He hit the skip button once more, glancing inside the coffee shop, assuring himself that she was fine and just waiting in line. When he’d offered to accompany her inside she’d told him no, telling him he should stay with the car in case it was towed again as he never parked legally.  She’d made a stupid joke about him not being able to obey any kind of authority, including street signs.</p><p>                He sighed, listening to number four, it irked him how much he was vibing to the lyrics on this one, ‘Tell me that we belong together, dress it up with the trappings of love, I’ll be captivated, I’ll hang from your lips, Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above. And I’ve dropped out, burned up, fought my way back from the dead, Tuned in, Turned on, remembered the thing you said,’ Yup, this bitch could go fuck himself. He was the one that belonged with Bobby. She was <em>his</em> damn it. He looked for her again; fuck that line was taking a long time. He punched the button.</p><p>                ‘I’ve been alone with you inside my mind, And in my dreams I’ve kissed your lips a thousand times, I sometimes see you pass outside my door, Hello, is it me you’re looking for? I can see it in your eyes, I can see it in your smile. You’re all I’ve ever wanted and my arms are open wide. ‘Cause you know just what to say and you know just what to do, And I want to tell you so much, I love you.’ Oh fuck no, this cocksucker was not jerking off to thoughts about her. He was about ready to lose his shit. He jabbed the button.</p><p>                ‘I’m the next act, waiting in the wings, I’m an animal, Trapped in your hot car, I am all the days, that you choose to ignore, you are all I need, I’m in the middle of your picture, lying in the reeds.’ Tora scowled darkly, animal eh? What fucking kind? He grinned sadistically, probably no match for a Tiger. He couldn’t wait to rip this guy to shreds. He was gonna flay him alive; maybe carve out his eyeballs for looking at his Bobby. This jackass might be hiding in the reeds but he had no idea what kinda monster was about to come out of the shadows for him. He hit the button.</p><p>                ‘You belong to me, Can it be honey, that you’re not sure? You belong to me, Thought we’d closed the book, Locked the door. You don’t have to prove to me that you’re beautiful to strangers, I’ve got loving eyes of my own, of my own, And I can tell, I can tell darling. You belong to me, Tell him he don’t even know you, <em>I know you from a long time ago</em>, tell him you were fooling and you belong to me.’</p><p>Tora stabbed the volume knob, turning off the radio. He couldn’t take anymore; he was going to blow a blood vessel. He didn’t know any of these fucking songs before today but he fucking hated them all. He’d listen to the rest of them later, when he was calmer. He watched her through the store window, she was ordering now. He wouldn’t be happy till she was back in the safety of his car though; he strummed his thumb on his steering wheel impatiently. He gazed out the window, assessing the city scape around him. Was the weirdo watching her now? His eyes landed on a silver pickup truck. It was a nice truck, out of place, but still a nice truck. Probably had plenty of leg room. Really did look fucking outta place on the city street though. Well that settled the issue for him, he couldn’t buy one, not conspicuous enough, the damn thing barely fit in the parking space. He was right the other day; a truck was a bad idea. Whoever was driving it was gonna have a bitch of a time getting out of that spot. </p><p>                Poppy smiled widely at the barista, thanking her as she moved down the counter, waiting for her order. She tucked the strawberry tart she’d picked up for Tora into her purse. She hoped he’d like it; he seemed to like strawberry anything. She was pretty sure he used the strawberry hair tie she’d given him all those months ago almost every day. She smiled to herself, wondering if it had less to do with the strawberry charm and more to do with her. She glanced around the shop, taking in both the cheery and grumpy patrons. She giggled to herself as she observed a particularly surly looking old man, poor guy reminded her a little of Tora’s grumpy face; the man was very obviously not a morning person. Her gaze flitted over a few other people before settling on a young man in a booth, his thumb scrolling over his phone slowly, his glasses low on his nose as his coffee sat untouched next to him. She gasped as recognition dawned on her, it couldn’t be. It had been so long! She collected her drink and made her way over to him, plopping down on the cushioned bench opposite him in the booth, “Hey there stranger! Long-time no see!” she greeted him cheerily.</p><p>                Mylo set his phone face down on the table, looking up at the cheery woman opposite him, a grin overtaking his features, she was right, it had been a long-time, well, for her at least. “Poppylan Wilkes, how ya been beautiful?” he asked, threading his fingers through his hair, doing his best to hide his nervousness. He felt his heart clench as she blessed him with another dazzling smile.</p><p>                Poppy grinned at him, he had always been quick with a compliment, “Mylo, you always were a charmer, I’ve been really good, what are you doing in Narin City? I thought you were going to take over your father’s business in Moonbright?” she inquired, taking a sip of her tea.</p><p>                He smiled at her, she always had been attentive, always remembering little things about everyone, she was so damn thoughtful, “I still might one day but Dad is still working and I wanted a taste of the big city before I settled down. I was a little surprised to hear you moved out here. You were always so nervous about being on your own,  Julri filled me in on your break up. I’m sorry he was such a prick, you deserve better.” He informed her.</p><p>                Poppy gazed at him critically, a little surprised by the vehemence in his voice while discussing one of his best friends. Mylo and Julri had been quite close the entire time she’d been with Julri, to hear him talk about him like that was odd. She laughed, brushing it off, “Give me a little credit, we’re not kids anymore, and I-” she paused, he was right, she was nervous when on her own, had always worried when there wasn’t someone around to watch over her. But she wasn’t alone, hadn’t been since the moment she met Tora. “Nevermind,” she shook her head with a small smile. “Thanks, I’m over it though, grass is greener on the other side and all that. Besides, I’m much happier now,” she said, Tora’s face flashing in her mind’s eye.</p><p>                Mylo grinned at her, shoving his glasses further up his nose, he was relieved to hear it, he had been worried she would still be heartbroken over her cheating dick of an ex; the last thing he wanted was to be a rebound. “That’s great to hear, he never treated you right anyways. So, I hear you’re a big time editor now, how’s that going?” he asked, genuinely curious.</p><p>                Tora glared at Poppy from his seat in the car as he watched her interact with the sandy haired man. What the fuck was she doing? Did she just forget about work? They were on a god damn timeline, and who the fuck was this fucker? How did she know him? She looked too comfortable with him. Was it another of her friends? Like Jacob? He thought he knew all her work friends. He texted her,</p><p>
  <em>hurry it up sweetheart or you’re gonna be late</em>
</p><p>                Poppy grinned at her old friend, pleased to learn he had moved to Narin City shortly after her. It was nice to have someone to reminisce about Moonbright with. It had been such a long time and it was a relief to hear she wasn’t the only one that felt a little out of place and lost in in the hustle and bustle of the big city around them. Seeing Mylo again reminded her of afternoons in tall tree branches and drive in movies and the slow pace of small town life. She heard her phone buzz in her purse; she pulled it out and smiled at Tora’s text, speaking of impatient people, he was right; she really did need to get back to him. “Hey Mylo, it was awesome to see you again,” she opened her contacts and slid her phone over to him, “add your contact info, I’d love to catch up properly when we have more time but I have to get to work, like, five minutes ago.” She commented, giggling at her own joke as she smiled brightly at him.</p><p>                He beamed back, typing in his phone number, “I’d love that, you busy this weekend? I know this great café.” He offered, hoping a coffee date wouldn’t give away his intentions right away.</p><p>                She nodded enthusiastically, “I’d love to Mylo but not this weekend, how about next?” she countered, taking back her phone, she highly doubted Tora was going to be agreeable to her going out on her own until he figured out what to do about her gift giver and she doubted showing up with him in tow would be any fun. He’d be bored and intimidate Mylo and probably insist they leave early. Two weeks would be long enough for him to figure it out though right? “I’ll text you, take care Mylo,” she bid him farewell with a small wave as she made her way towards the door and back out to Tora. Mylo watched as she climbed into the red sports car before it sped away. He frowned, he was sure she didn’t have a car, who was driving her? He picked his phone back up, exiting out of the photo he’d been looking at of her, pulling up her Instagram instead.</p><p>He scrolled through her photos, he had memorized them all. He didn’t remember ever seeing that car in any of them. He paused; one of her photos was missing. He glared at the screen. He was sure of it. He flipped back to his photos, scrolling through all the screenshots he’d taken, yes, the one of her in her kitchen; her failed attempt at soufflé in the background, was missing from her Instagram now. His eyes narrowed. Why? Why would she take it down when it had let him get just a little closer to her?</p><p>He really hoped no one had hurt her feelings about her cooking again. Julri was such an ass, he still clearly remembered how broken she had looked when she’d overheard Julri and the other guys making fun of her animal rice balls. He loved them; thought they were adorable, the first time he’d seen them they had brought on a wide grin and tears to his eyes, the other guys had thought he’d been laughing along with them. They had no idea how he felt. They were beautiful, like her. If she ever made them for him he would treasure the memory always. Julri never deserved her, the dick had known he had a crush on her and had asked her out anyways. He’d only stayed friends with the ass so he could be close to her, doing his best to charm her away from him, to convince her to be his. She’d always just brushed him off as a shameless flirt. When they graduated and he’d failed, he’d thought the door had closed on him, locking her away from him. It had driven him half insane not being able to see her every day. He’d had to settle for her social media to get his daily fix of her. However, once he’d found out about their break up he’d put as much distance between he and Julri as possible without appearing suspicious and found a job in Narin City so he could track her down. He wasn’t missing out on her again.</p><p>He sighed, a small smile creeping over his face as he looked at the photo he’d taken of her this morning while she waited in line. He’d been waiting weeks for her to notice him. He came here every day to see her, knowing it was her favourite. He even had her tea order memorized. He liked when she braided her hair. It reminded him of high school and how cute she’d always looked walking by herself in the halls. Watching her with Julri had been a living hell. Now though, now she would be his, he would watch over her, like he always had. She didn’t belong in this city. This wasn’t what she actually wanted. He knew her better than that. He knew what she needed. He was going to take her out next weekend and convince her to be with him. Convince her that she should have been with him to begin with. That Julri had been a mistake on her part but he was willing to forgive her for it. She’d learn that <em>he</em> was supposed to be her man. That he would look after her <em>always</em>. That she was going to come back to Moonbright and marry him, give him children. That he loved her. Silly girl, didn’t she know that she belonged to him?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If you reread ch.31, you'll find my inspiration for Mylo.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. TEA TIME</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>*Actual Chapter Update will be up later this morning, promise, just felt the need to do this*</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><strong>Tea Time: </strong>So, may I just say how amazing and supportive I find this community to be? The other day someone reached out to check and see if I was okay due to the way I portray Tora in this particular story. Thinking I may be in an abusive relationship myself. How awesome is that? I assured them that I’m just fine and in a wonderful healthy solid relationship. However, it got me wondering how many other people felt the way they did. So I just wanted to take a minute to write some of this out.</p>
<ol>
<li>I write Tora as borderline abusive purposely. I do not think that some of the shit he does is sexy or cool. I write him this way because as a victim of trauma myself and being married to someone that has endured physical and emotional abuse, it is not realistic, in my personal opinion, that Tora would magically be the prince charming and perfect partner we all want him to be. My version of Tora is a messed up man that’s trying to do better but still loses his shit and mistreats Poppy on occasion. I do not feel that Tora has probably ever seen a positive, healthy, fair and equal partnership growing up in the Balthuman home and that is why I write him this way. That said this is just my personal interpretation of the character and I could be way off as we continue to delve deeper in the canon story by Lilydusk.</li>
</ol><p> </p>
<ol>
<li>I think Poppy has her own set of issues and often accepts ‘love’ she doesn’t deserve. (ie: putting up with Julri neglecting her and allowing his friends to make fun of her, putting up with Tora’s mood swings so readily, always placating to him etc.) However, I never intend for her to come across as genuinely afraid of Tora more just constantly aware of and concerned for his mental health. She’s not so much worried about his reactions towards her but more so that she knows he’s hurting and insecure and is sometimes <em>overly</em> considerate of his feelings all the time since she’s so sweet and regularly thinks of others before herself. Which is something I’m sure a lot of us can relate to when it comes to our partners or children. Once again, that said, this is only my personal interpretation of Poppy.</li>
</ol><p> </p>
<ol>
<li>I write heavy shit because I feel that’s a more real and a more adult portrayal of life and I’m captivated by MPL and Lilydusk herself because she doesn’t shy away from the hard stuff. (Poppy losing her father, Julri cheating, Tora’s physical/emotional/mental abuse, trouble with the law, the insinuation of a guy thinking about nefarious actions towards Poppy in chapter 4, etc.) I’ve never written other fanfic before in part because I feel like I can’t relate to the characters the way I can with MPL. However, that said I also cover hard topics because I like to see growth and development of characters especially in uncomfortable and sometimes awkward positions (if you’ve read my other stuff you might understand what I’m saying here.) For example:</li>
</ol><p>Weathering The Storm covers ownership, Give Me A Chance? Is all about consent, Demons is about physical and mental abuse, Long Way To Happy under “Requests” is about sexual trauma, "Savin' All Her Sinnin'" touches on shared contraceptive responsibility, and this one, Secret Admirer,  is about control in relationships in a male centric world (ie Might Makes Right/viewing women as possessions which happens to be something both Tora and Creepypants struggle with. I write their “possessiveness” of Poppy parallel to each other purposely to drive home a point [just so we’re clear it’s not okay when either of them do it, she is her own person and doesn’t belong <em>to</em> anyone but Tora is still working on that one].)</p><p>If you’re turned off by Tora’s behaviour thus far I strongly encourage you to continue reading, Tora is growing and learning and Poppy does stick up for herself when she feels stongly about something. I’ve written through ch.12 so far and like my other fics, I always try my best to give these two a happy ending while staying true to my interpretation of the characters based on what Lilydusk has created for us thus far. They just need to work on their shit and that takes patience.</p><p> </p>
<ol>
<li>I spend a lot of time plotting and planning my stories, I never start a project unless I already know how it’s going to end which is why it’s easy to provide you with daily updates (I’m hoping this is a positive for you). On the flipside though, because of that, it’s hard for me to appreciate how someone else might read an individual chapter as they’re not in my head and can’t see where I’m going with something until I write and share it. Also, many of us will have various interpretations and perspectives on various characters and actions due to our own personal experiences. And that’s okay.</li>
</ol><p> </p><p>5. If you took the time to read all that, thank you. This community really is amazing and awesome and I’m so happy to be a part of it. I mean it when I say that I’m open to all commentary even if it's critical, if you ever want to discuss my stories drop me a line here or if you wanna text in real time send me a DM on discord, I’m always up for healthy open communication. &lt;3</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Tora gets his wish :) Also thanks everyone for your continued support and patience with my stories. I'm a slow build kinda gal :P</p><p>Your commentary gets me smiling all the time ♥</p><p>Song suggestions:<br/>In Love With a Girl by Gavin DeGraw (Tora)<br/>If I never knew you by Job Secada &amp; Shanice (back half)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Who the fuck was that?” Tora greeted her angrily, throwing the car into drive and peeling away from the curb as soon as she’d pulled the door closed.</p><p>                Poppy raised her brows at his tone wondering what had gotten him so fired up, “just an old friend from high school I haven’t seen in a long time. What happened while I was gone to get you so worked up?” she asked sweetly, pulling out the tart she’d bought for him before setting it in his cup holder.</p><p>                He eyed it before turning his attention back to her, ignoring her question, “what’s that?” he asked tersely.</p><p>                She giggled, pulling it out and offering it to his mouth; he took a bite, his eyes on the road. “Originally a gift but apparently a peace offering now they you’re upset with me,” she teased.</p><p>                He chewed before swallowing, grinning at her, it was good, “Shit, I’m not mad at ya Bobby, I’m just pissed about this situation. I’m just paranoid and don’t like ya out of arm’s reach. Especially right now,” She didn’t need to know he’d been listening to the CD, she seemed in good spirits now and the last thing he wanted to do was kill her good mood.</p><p>                She smiled at him, giggling, “worry wort, I doubt anything would happen in such a crowded space.” She teased him, reaching for his hand, interlocking their fingers, giving his a squeeze.</p><p>                He rolled his eyes, she had no idea what kind of fucked up shit unstable people did all the time, “Look, I’m gonna be busy this afternoon, you stay in the building for lunch and don’t go anywhere alone. Even the bathroom, take Erdene with you if you have to go. Text me if anything happens. I will meet you right here at five. Do not leave the building until you see my car,” he slammed on the brakes and forced the gear shift into park, releasing the steering wheel in favour of cupping the back of her head dragging her towards him for a searing kiss, “be safe. I’ll be back soon. Do as I said.” He instructed as he pulled away. She nodded, smiling to herself; she bit her lip to keep from laughing at his orders as she gathered her things off the floor from between her legs. Heading into the office, she tossed him a small wave goodbye before she disappeared into the building.</p><p>~            ~            ~</p><p>                Tora hooked his new tv onto the wall mount, threading the wires behind it in order to connect his gaming system. He’d moved her mirror to the wall behind her easel. He stepped back and admired his work. He knew a flat screen would be great there. They could watch from bed too, no more Netflix on her tiny ass laptop. He grinned, glancing around the apartment. He hadn’t had much to bring but it was nice to see his stuff sprinkled between all of hers. He’d shoved a small chest of drawers in her closet for his clothes, only hanging his suits next to her dresses. His guitar leaned against the wall next to her desk, his system sat on her dresser under the tv next to her bears and the heart cut out photos of her parents and her Gran. Moving in hadn’t been that difficult with the exception of hauling his gun cabinet up all her fucking stairs. Why the fuck didn’t this place have an elevator?</p><p>                He sighed, flopping on her bed, tossing his forearm over his eyes, between his blue balls last night and moving, he was exhausted. He had two hours before he needed to pick up Poppy. Now that he had fulfilled her request his mind wandered back to the creep. He’d contacted Gyu this morning after he’d dropped her off asking if there was any way to track who looked at her social media and how often. He’d just laughed at him and told him he’d been watching too many bad cop tv shows. He’d contacted the flower shop but they’d said their records were confidential and then that it had been an anonymous online order after some persuasion on his part. He felt useless. Short of stalking Poppy himself, he wasn’t sure what the fuck to do at this point. He didn’t normally hunt people; that was usually someone else’s job. He just took out the trash after they were found. He unfolded his arm from his face and stared at the ceiling. How was he supposed to protect her if he didn’t know who he was trying to protect her from? The creepy motherfucker was going to have to make the first move and he didn’t like that at all. He was a man of action; waiting had never been his strong suit. No one had ever accused him of being patient.</p><p>                His body relaxed into the mattress, as his mind wandered to a new train of thought. Was this his fault? For not letting her make their relationship public? Were other men pursuing her that he didn’t know about? His Bobby was gorgeous; it wouldn’t surprise him if more than a few other guys wanted her. Sometimes he wondered why the fuck she’d picked him. Well, granted he hadn’t exactly given her much choice, always hanging around and pressing his suit, he’d been persistent to say the least. She cared about him though didn’t she? The night of their fight and all the other shit she did for him proved it right? He rolled onto his side, letting his gaze settle on the tv. He should have taken her with him to pick it out. He was still working on being considerate of her. He probably also should have asked where she wanted her mirror instead of just deciding for her. He returned to his back, pressing the heels of his palms to his eyes. Fuck. She wouldn’t say anything about it, just like she never said anything about their failed movie dates. He was sure it would bother her though, just like all the other shit he did. She always just got that constipated look on her face when she was disappointed with him, never said a word though. He sighed again, letting his hand rest on his chest, the other lazing over his head. He was gonna be better for her. Now that they were living together it would be easier. He’d support her short lived health ideas and keep her treats stocked and pay the bills and respect her sleep and torrent all the movies she wanted to watch. Fuck the theatre, they’d watch in bed, cuddled up while he held her. He smiled, liking the idea of coming home to her every night. He knew she’d said ‘just for a while’ but he’d try to make sure she never wanted him to leave. If she never asked him to leave, he didn’t have to right? He would be more than happy to never have to go back to his cold shell of a home.</p><p>~              ~             ~</p><p>                Poppy smirked, doing her best to hold in a laugh as she gazed around her apartment. Tora had picked her up a half hour ago. When he’d informed her he had already finished moving in she had scoffed. He wasn’t kidding though. She made her way to the bathroom, needing to pee. As she relieved herself she smiled at his things on her vanity and the second toothbrush now taking up residence in the cup she had next to the sink. There was a second towel on her rack as well. She smiled at herself as she washed her hands, and she’d been worried her request was going to freak him out. Ha! The man was obviously more open to the idea than she’d thought, if not straight up eager. Well, her face fell, could she really blame him? His place was so cold and dark. She shook off her thoughts, pasting on a smile for him as she rejoined him in the main room. “I see you’ve made yourself at home,” she commented, gesturing at his tv.</p><p>                Tora shrugged, blushing a little. “Figured ya wanted your live in bodyguard as soon as possible,” he commented dryly, trying to detract from how nervous he actually was for her approval.</p><p>                She arched her brows at him, “bodyguard eh? What happened to playing house?” she teased, backing him towards the bed, straddling his lap once he’d sat down, wrapping her arms around his neck.</p><p>                He looked into her eyes pleadingly, he had no idea what the right answer was, what she wanted him to say, it hurt to know how this had come to pass but it still meant the world to him. She had accepted him, invited him in, told him she wanted and needed him. She cocked her head to the side, trying to read the emotion in his eyes. He looked so serious and lost at the same time; she traced his face with her fingers, tucking his bangs behind his ears, “what is it? What’s wrong?” she whispered.</p><p>                Tora hugged her, crushing her to him, “you’re my everything,” he muttered into her shoulder, not knowing how to voice what he was feeling. She hugged him back. “I’m grateful for you.” he murmured. She pushed away from his shoulder, kissing him gently, pushing him back onto the bed, deepening the kiss, trying to assure him with her body that the sentiment was mutual.</p><p>                He held her, desperately, his fingers entwining in her hair, the other held her waist as she pressed her pelvis against his. She pulled back, less than an inch between their mouths, “make love to me,” she whispered. He nodded, capturing her lips with his, cradling her head, the other blazing a trail over her side, taking her shirt with it. He closed his eyes tighter, losing himself in her kiss, concentrating on all the supple softness beneath his fingers as he pulled her top over her breasts, cupping one gently in his large palm, before wrapping his arm around her back to undo her bra. They pulled away from each other for a moment; he shed his shirt while she tossed hers on top of his. She stood, as he undid her pants, his eyes never leaving hers as he disrobed her, hooking his thumbs in her underwear as he dragged them and her pants down her thighs. Then he stood, shedding his pants and briefs holding her gaze, reaching for her, pulling her against his nude form, her hands molded to his biceps, his holding the curve of her waist.</p><p>                Tora turned them slowly, backing her onto the bed, crawling over her body as he kissed her. She clung to him, her legs and arms wrapped around him tightly as he moved them to center of the bed. He took his time, exploring her body, running his hands over her soft skin. Starting from her waist, curving over her hips, hooking her thighs around his hips as he crushed his lower body against hers, never breaking their kiss. He tucked his forearm under his shoulder, his palm cradling her head as he rocked against her gently, the length of his cock sliding against her folds. He slid his tongue along her lips, entreating her to open for him, to allow him to taste her fully, sealing his mouth over hers as she invited his tongue in, kissing him passionately, her fingers entangling in his hair. He rocked against her harder, soaking himself in her desire for him. He broke the kiss, pressing his forehead to hers, gazing into her eyes as he angled his hips and pressed inside her slowly, his eyes searching hers as they rounded at his entry, softening as she accepted him within her. She pushed against him with her hips, gently but insistently, her inner walls clenching around him, milking him, drawing him in deeper. He closed his eyes and kissed her again, rocking in time with her as she hooked her calves over his rear.</p><p>                Poppy broke the kiss, tossing her head back in his hand, moaning, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as he moved gently within her, slowly stroking the embers of her love for him. It always amazed her how gently he touched her sometimes, how he made love to her with every ounce of his soul. He kissed her neck as she craned back her head, his hand leaving her thigh to hook over the back of her shoulder, pulling her tighter to him as he put a little more force behind his thrusts. He moved her, rocked her to her core. She had never felt for another man what she felt for him, she clutched his shoulders, trying to get closer, “kiss me,” she moaned, sighing into his mouth as it returned to hers, one small fist tangling in his hair. He pressed deep, the weight of him forcing her legs wider as he ground himself against her core, his pelvic bone stimulating her clitoris, triggering desperate rocking on her part in an attempt to take him deeper within herself. She was close, so close. “Cum with me,” she pleaded, her voice hitching as she reached her peak, his steady thrusting pushing her over the edge.</p><p>                Tora stroked her, kissing her deeply as he stilled, his own orgasm flashing behind his eyes as he smothered her with his body and his mouth. Spilling inside her, groaning into her mouth as she rocked against him, milking him for everything he was willing to gift her. He’d never been with anyone like this before her. This was so much more powerful than anything they usually did. Making love like this was rare between them but always the best fucking thing he’d ever felt. He broke their kiss, studying her beautiful eyes as she floated down off her orgasm and back into his arms. “I love you,” she whispered, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes.</p><p>                He blinked down at her, his heart thundering in his chest, he had always hoped, wished, and now…he couldn’t breathe. Poppy cupped his face and brought his lips to hers, kissing him tenderly. He kissed her deeply, trying to show her how much her words meant to him. She was by far the best thing to ever happen to him. “Tora,” she whispered questioningly, uncertainty in her eyes.</p><p>                “Same,” he promised, burying his face in the crook of her neck. He couldn’t bring himself to say the words. That was too much, it might just break him and the last thing he wanted was to cry in front of her. She threaded her fingers through his hair, holding him to her, listening to his breathing as her fingers scrapped gently over his skull. He was crushing her but she didn’t care. Who needed to breathe anyways? They had just shared something beautiful, as far as she was concerned, he could stay right where he was inside her as long as he wanted.</p><p>                A few minutes later, her inner thighs and ribcage were objecting to her misguided desire to put his feelings over her physical comfort and survival. “Tora, you’re heavy,” she gasped. He pulled his hands out from under her, pressing them into the mattress on either side of her shoulders as he pushed his upper body away from hers, slowly pulling himself out of her, their lower bodies a damp sticky mess. He lowered himself onto his side next to her. Watching as she slowly straightened her legs, her little wince betraying how sore she was from being splayed wide for him for so long. He smirked wondering if her recent interest in Yoga and increasing her flexibility had less to do with health and more to do with sex. He wanted to laugh, he should be more considerate of her, he was always bending and contorting her for his pleasure. He mentally added it to his running list of personal improvement projects for her.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Enjoy! :D  Thanks for reading, you guys rock. Feeling a bit down today but your commentary always makes me laugh and smile.</p><p>Song suggestions:<br/>Show Your Teeth by Jasper Sloan Yip (Tora &amp; Poppy)<br/>I Found by Amber Run (Creepypants)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                Tora braced himself, trying to prepare for the backlash he knew was imminent. It was Saturday, it was a beautiful day and they were on the roof enjoying the sun. Living together was going pretty well as far as he was concerned but he just knew he was about to step in shit. He watched her put down her paintbrush to text Mylo back. She’d been talking to him all afternoon. It bugged him a little that he didn’t seem to be enough company for her but she smiled and laughed a lot talking to the guy and then would turn to impart whatever teenage memory they were reminiscing about with him. He supposed he didn’t really care as long as she was happy, he liked seeing her laugh and he appreciated that she was trying to include him by sharing. Last week he probably would have been jealous but she’d said she loved him, had asked <em>him</em> to move in with her, and slept next to <em>him </em>every night. So what if she wanted to text some friend from high school? He had nothing to be jealous of, if anything their conversation was allowing him to learn even more about her.</p><p>                Poppy giggled, typing out her message before turning to Tora, “he’s teasing me about when I went too high up a tree and I refused to move until my Dad came to coach me down by pointing out footholds.”</p><p>                He raised his brows, “oh yeah? So climbing that tree for that damn cat wasn’t a one-time thing?”  He asked as he tuned his guitar.</p><p>                She shook her head at him, going back to her painting, “No, I’m an expert tree climber, my Dad and I used to climb them all the time together. He was the champion though, never got as good as him.” She explained happily.</p><p>                Tora nodded, trying to decide how to bring up his request, “Uh, listen sweetheart, I’ve been thinking, since that mofo keeps sending ya shit-”</p><p>                Poppy cut him off, “Mr. Creepypants,” she corrected mixing her colours to get the shade of green she wanted.</p><p>                He bit his tongue trying not to laugh, “Mr. Creepypants?” he asked, sidetracked by her ridiculous nickname for her stalker.</p><p>                She pressed the end of her paintbrush against her lips, examining her art, trying to decide exactly where to place her brush next, “yes, I don’t like your name for him so I came up with my own.” She explained.</p><p>                Tora did laugh at that one, “you mean motherfucker?” he asked amusedly.</p><p>                Poppy nodded, “yes, you’ve got quite the potty mouth on you Tora, it’s vulgar and since he’s most likely going to be a popular topic of conversation between the two of us until you find him, I’d prefer you use my name for him.” She explained as she moved the brush over her work.</p><p>                He smiled at her, she was so damn cute, “okay sweetheart, so, Mr. Creepypants. He’s gettin’ under my skin and I’m gonna need to work soon. I got out of it the other night by sending one of my men in my place but I am gonna need to leave ya at some point,” she nodded, “so I think it would be best if I showed ya how to handle a… gun.”</p><p>                Poppy froze at his words, she could feel his eyes studying her, she resumed painting a moment later, refusing to look at him. “You know how I feel about guns. Stalker or no stalker my opinion on the topic hasn’t changed.” Tora opened his mouth to retort but she pressed on, silencing him. “I don’t care how angry that makes you or how silly or short sighted you might think I’m being. I will never touch a gun Tora. Ever. I’m not willing to cater to you on this issue.”</p><p>                Tora frowned, he just fucking knew she was going to obstinate, “it’s for your own safety Poppy,” he insisted, his hands tightening on his guitar.</p><p>                She set down her brush and turned to him, hands on her hips, “no Tora, it’s for your peace of mind. Don’t lie. You know how I feel about life and killing. Guns are a weapon used to kill, and don’t go into your spiel about how you can wound someone instead if you know how to use them. We both know you’d teach me to aim for center mass and I’m not doing it. I’m not touching them. If Mr.Creepypants wants to try to get to me when you’re busy elsewhere I’m more than capable of using my fists if violence is necessary. I will not touch a gun so drop it.” She finalized.</p><p>                He sighed and set his guitar to the side, standing to face her, she was right of course, it had taken him years to be able to only wound when he wanted to, especially on moving targets, “Poppy, I sincerely hope it won’t come to you having to use it but it’s for both my peace of mind <em>and</em> your safety. I know you’re a good boxer but sweetheart if he turns out to be big like me your fists aren’t gonna help ya all that much.” He countered, doing his best to be patient. He had prepared himself for this disagreement days ago. He was determined to convince her without losing his shit.</p><p>                Poppy glared at him, “that’s very chauvinistic of you Tora. The only reason I wouldn’t beat you in a fight is because you’re a skilled fighter. Size isn’t everything. I’ve bested men only slightly smaller than you when they underestimated me in the ring.” She argued calmly.</p><p>                Tora eyed her apathetically, “and what if he is like me? What if he does know how to handle himself? A gun would be your only advantage,” he said as calmly as possible, trying to appeal to her logic.</p><p>                She turned away from him and picked back up her brush, “No Tora. I understand that my safety is a passionate topic for you and I really do appreciate how much you care but we’ll just need to come up with another solution because guns aren’t an option for me. I’m not willing to debate this with you. You won’t change my mind. I allowed you to bring guns into my home. That was concession enough. I will not do what you’re suggesting. Even for you.” She assuaged.</p><p>                Taking deep breaths, Tora stamped down his fury and his hurt, doing his best to ignore how she’d referred to <em>their</em> home. It was their home now wasn’t it? “Would you at least fucking look at me while we talk about this?” he asked.</p><p>                Poppy huffed and set her brush back down, turning to face him once more, “but Tora we’re not talking about this. I just told you how I feel about this, there’s nothing more to discuss. If you need to be mad at me now and yell at me about this, go ahead, but I don’t care how bad your tantrum is, I’m not giving into you. Not on this one.” She scolded.</p><p>                Tora’s nostrils flared, how dare she compare him to some upset toddler? Is that really how she fucking saw him? He bit back his retort, he had been about to yell at her. “Why do you have to be so goddamn stubborn?” he spat.</p><p>                Poppy shrugged, “Tora I give you what you want almost all the time. You can compromise for me this once. You’re a very intelligent man, come up with another solution that doesn’t involve me touching a gun.” She countered, staring him down, daring him to disagree with her.</p><p>                He rolled his eyes, thinking about it for all of a minute before offering, “When I work, I take you to Quincey. You stay there until I come back for ya.” That way she was out of the apartment, she was safe, and she didn’t have to touch a weapon.</p><p>                She smiled at him, “Deal, though I’ll still be with you if you’re taking me to Quincey. Was that so hard?” she asked genuinely.</p><p>                Tora frowned, “Don’t fake stupid Poppy. I know you know when I leave in the middle of the night I’m not going to Quincey,” he told her with annoyance. He hated when she just played along. It was insulting to his own intelligence.</p><p>                Poppy moved to lean against the edge of the roof, cocking her head to the side as she stared silently at him for a long moment before speaking, “Are we allowed to talk about that now Tora? I thought your work was off limits.” She inquired.</p><p>                He crossed his arms, it was off limits, he didn’t want to talk about it. He just didn’t appreciate her innocent act. “I’m not talking about it with you but I know ya ain’t stupid Poppy. We don’t need to discuss it for you to know protecting Quincey isn’t my main job. The tattoo is proof enough.”</p><p>                She sighed and nodded, “Right, boss level thug. I remember, but I like to lie to myself sometimes,” she responded wistfully. She didn’t want to talk about it either. It was the elephant in the room that she knew would one day make or break their relationship. “If Quincey was an option, why bring up a gun to begin with?” she asked, purposely changing the subject.</p><p>Tora sighed, dropping his arms, still conflicted over her first statement, “Didn’t think you’d be cool with that considering I sometimes have to work into the middle of the night. Thought ya needed your sleep?” he pointed out, he had been trying to be considerate of her, he hadn’t imagined she’d want to be dragged halfway across the city in the middle of the night.</p><p>                Poppy shrugged, “If I don’t have to touch a gun it’s fine. Besides, Quincey and I can use it as a chance to go over his writing and it’s not like he doesn’t have a spare room if I need a nap that bad.” She expounded.</p><p>                He nodded, moving to join her at the wall, pulling her in for a hug. “Sorry,” he offered lamely, not entirely sure if he was apologizing for the guns, his job or his usual behaviour.  </p><p>                Poppy squeezed him back, tilting her face to look up at him, “thanks,” she replied, accepting his apology for all of it.</p><p>~           ~           ~</p><p>                Mylo paced his small bachelor apartment, his phone in his hand as he waited impatiently for her response. He scrolled back up and reread their last two messages.</p><p>
  <em>You ever gonna let me live that down? :P</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Unlikely. It was too adorable, you should have just let me come up and get you when I offered.</em>
</p><p>                He frowned; it had been almost fifteen minutes. She was never like this. She always responded to him right away if they were in the middle of a conversation. What could be so important that she had stopped? Didn’t she know he was waiting? That she always had his attention? He pushed his glasses up further on his nose, a nervous habit on his part. He typed out a message.</p><p>
  <em>You still there? Busy?</em>
</p><p>She responded a few minutes later, <em>yes, sorry, painting. Gonna go now, have some chores I’ve been putting off. Ttys.</em></p><p>                Mylo glared at her message, couldn’t she paint, do chores and text him at the same time? Was she lying to him? He sighed, taping out his response. Patience was a virtue. Once she was back in Moonbright with him he wouldn’t need to worry about waiting on her. She would just be there. For him. Always.</p><p>
  <em>Okay ttys.</em>
</p><p>                He sighed, threading his fingers through his hair. He’d just go see her. It made him feel better when he could watch her. He’d never been to her place before but it was about time. It was Saturday; she hadn’t come to the coffee shop this morning. He wanted to see her.</p><p>                Mylo fiddled with his keys as he made his way over to his truck. It was a pain in the ass in the city and he did his best to avoid having to drive it by taking transit most of the time, but it was perfect for Moonbright. He couldn’t wait to go home. He hated Narin City, the place was dirty and barbaric and what he wouldn’t give for sweet tea on his parents porch swing. Yet he couldn’t go home. Not until he had Poppy in tow. He wasn’t leaving her behind. He put his truck in gear and typed the address he’d memorized into his map app.</p><p>                Thirty minutes later he pulled off the road and parked under the shade of a tree frowning at her apartment building. What a monstrosity. It was all cold concrete and had a fence around it. Why? Was it dangerous? She shouldn’t live in a dangerous place. There was a guard house to the side that looked empty. This place needed a guard? Goodness, this was no place for his sweet little Poppylan. She absolutely had to come home to Moonbright. Poor thing was probably frightened to death.  He looked up at the apartments one by one, picking out hers immediately. She had always been an avid gardener, always cared for her plants. Her balcony was littered with them. He was sure it was hers.</p><p>                He grabbed his binoculars from the glove box and peered up at the patio door. It was useless though, the angle was all wrong. He couldn’t see into the apartment. Damn. He tapped both his forefingers off the bottom of his steering wheel, staring up at the roof of his truck, thinking. He could wait? It was a nice day, she’d come out eventually right, to be on her balcony? She always enjoyed the outdoors, he doubted she’d want to waste the day inside. Yes. He would wait. Seeing her would be worth it.</p><p>                A few hours later he was gifted with her visage, she looked lovely, he liked her sundress. She was watering her plants. He frowned. Was she talking to someone? She kept turning her head over her shoulder towards the screen door. Did she have company? He watched until she disappeared inside again. He put his truck back in gear. Had she stopped texting him to pay attention to someone else? The thought enraged him. She was his world. How dare she dismiss him to shower attention on someone else? He turned his truck back towards his apartment. No. This was not okay. She couldn’t treat him like that. They would have to talk about this next weekend when he took her out for coffee. She always came first for him. He needed to come first for her.</p><p>~         ~         ~</p><p>                Tora waited until Poppy was done watering her plants, dropping a kiss on her forehead before handing off the ladle to her so he could go for a smoke. He had offered to help her with dinner tonight after he’d lugged her art supplies back downstairs for her. He’d chopped the veggies while she watered. He was on edge though and wanted a smoke. Mr. Creepypants, as she called him, had sent her another gift yesterday, a box of assorted teas and a creepy ass note about how she would always be his favourite flavour. The motherfucker was talking about tasting her now? He couldn’t even verbalize let alone think about how <em>that</em> made him fucking feel. He was really struggling with all this. Poppy in danger was his worst nightmare coming true. He’d made zero progress trying to find the fucker. He’d pulled Gyu in on the search though, and Quincey knew now. Poppy had confided in him tearfully over the phone the other night when Quince had brought up the flowers, making some stupid ass joke about his usual lack of ‘romance’.</p><p>                He sighed, trying to reign in his anger as he stepped out on the patio, lighting up. He exhaled smoke as he watched a silver pick-up truck disappear around the corner. His brows narrowed, it was the same make as the one he’d seen the other day outside the coffee shop. He grit his teeth. He didn’t believe in coincidences. Was it him? Was he staking out her apartment now? He took another drag of his cigarette. A slow smile creeping over his face. He already felt better. Stupid motherfucker. If it was him, Tora couldn’t wait for him to come back. He’d have his eyes peeled for him, and now he had a place to start. He was gonna get Gyu to use his connections to find every motherfucker in the city with a silver Tundra. Then, he was going to visit every single one of them, trail them, see which ones turned up at her office or back here. His face broke into a full on grin. He put out his cigarette, not needing it anymore before heading back inside to Poppy. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Oh god, all the feels on this one. </p><p>*Side note: Thank you guys so much for your comments yesterday, it was a weird day for me but reading them made me smile a lot. Have I mentioned how much I love this community? :D *</p><p>Songs:<br/>Silence by Grace Carter (Poppy: so powerful)<br/>Worthy of You by Plested (Tora: Guys please listen to this one, it breaks my heart every time I hear it)<br/>Patience by Guns &amp; Roses</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                The discarded underwear in the middle of the room infuriated her; she bit her lip and huffed, picking it up off the bathroom floor, tucking it into the growing pile under her arm. It had been just over a week and a half since Tora had moved in, she loved the man desperately but he was driving her up the freaking wall. Not only had he insisted she was essentially under house arrest with the exception of work until he found her stalker, adjusting to his constant presence had been trying for her. She had never realized how little he cared about organization or cleanliness. He rarely put things back where they belonged, just chucked them on various surfaces when he was done with them. She was beginning to suspect he thought there was some magic fairy that just put his crap away for him. The first few days he’d been good about it, knowing she preferred things tidy but then the honeymoon period had quickly worn off and he had just devolved into his normal living habits.</p><p>                She sighed, shoving all the clothing she had collected into the hamper; she’d do laundry later tonight. Poppy moved to the kitchen, filling the small watering can she kept for her indoor plants before padding around the space sprinkling them. She glared at Tora as he sat on the edge of bed, mindlessly staring at his stupid tv. She would admit it was nice for movies but he had it on all the damn time and she hated the constant shooting sounds. She wished he’d play his guitar more; she enjoyed listening to that a lot more than his damn games. She made an annoyed noise as she rose to her tipy toes in an attempt to water one of the hanging plants Tora had tied higher to the ceiling after hitting his head off it one too many times. She gave up a minute later, it was useless, she couldn’t reach. She’d have to get him to do it for her. Poppy rolled her eyes, fat chance of that, the man barely did anything around the house. She eyed her books, wondering if standing on those would make her tall enough to reach. She shook her head at her own ridiculousness; she had a six foot three inch man lounging four feet away. He could damn well get off his ass and help her, but first, he was going to do the chore she’d asked him to do days ago.</p><p>Giving up on the plant, she went back to the kitchen to grab a garbage bag before stomping over to him, purposely blocking his view of his game as he fiddled with the controller. She held the bag out to him, a hand on her hip, her face unimpressed. He just leaned to the side, looking at the tv around her pissed figure. “What’s up?” he asked, his eyes glued to the screen.</p><p>                Poppy wanted to sock him in the nose for ignoring her, “Go empty your ashtray on the patio. I asked you to do it three days ago. It’s gross and over flowing,” she scolded in annoyance; she had had no idea how much he actually smoked before he’d moved in. She had suggested he try to quit a few times but he wasn’t the least bit receptive to the idea. She was grateful he never smoked in the apartment but it still bugged her.</p><p>                He smirked, “yeah sweetheart, sure thing, I’ll do it in a minute okay?” he offered, his eyes still fixed on the screen to the side of her head.</p><p>                She reached forward and snatched the controller from him, “No Tora, that’s what you said last time. Pause your game and do it now,” she ordered, tucking the device behind her back, throwing the bag at him instead when he moved to retake it.</p><p>                He growled at her, “give it back Poppy,” he tossed the bag to the side and reached for her again as she skittered back and away from his grasping fingers.</p><p>She turned off the tv in retaliation as he climbed to his feet. Making no effort to collect the bag, he glowered at her. She had been a bit of a bitch the last few days, nagging him over seemingly everything. He had been trying to leave her alone, giving her space, trying to be considerate of her. He knew it was hard on her feeling like a prisoner. However, the creep had continued to send her gifts to both her office and their home and he wasn’t taking any fucking chances with her safety. He’d had to work a few nights since he moved in with her and each time he’d dropped her off with Quincey for safe keeping until he returned. He was done with her attitude though. She was always the one telling him he wasn’t allowed to be mean to people just because he was upset. She was being a fucking hypocrite.</p><p>He watched as she set his controller on top of his system, brushing past him to pick up the plastic bag where it had fallen on the floor before shoving it against this chest. He glared at her, refusing to take it. “What the fuck is your problem woman?” he snapped, annoyed by her childish behaviour.</p><p>Poppy glared right back, “You Tora, you’re my problem,” she spat, “now take the damn bag and do as you’re damn well told.” She ordered, releasing her hold on the bag as he ripped it away from her.</p><p>His eyes narrowed dangerously on her, “you don’t give me orders Poppylan,” he growled, bunching the bag in his fist. Just who the fuck did she think she was? Vince?</p><p>She rolled her eyes in a huff, “oh no, how could I forget, of course you’re right. I have no business telling you to do anything. <em>You’re</em> the one that gives orders and I’m just expected to wait on you and do all your damn bidding. You command me all the time! Do you even hear yourself sometimes?” she shouted, “come here woman, bend over, do as I said, I’m hungry, whatcha gonna make me? Get away from there, put that down before you hurt yourself,” she mocked, doing her best to imitate his stern voice, “I’m not your damn property Tora.” she reprimanded.</p><p>His nostrils flared in irritation, “I’m a man,” he argued lamely, “and you said you liked how assertive I am,” he added weakly, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared at her. He knew they were pathetic excuses but fuck him, what the fuck was he supposed to say to that?</p><p>Poppy’s eyes flared, “don’t you dare blame your gender for treating me like that, my father <em>never </em>spoke to my mother the way you speak to me sometimes; and you might be the ‘<strong><em>man</em></strong>’ with all your little toadies but I’m not one of your errand boys you get to order around. I only like it when you talk to me like that in bed and you know it! Don’t you dare take my words out of context!” She argued, her annoyance with him growing.</p><p>Tora scowled, fuck her Dad, why the fuck did she have to bring a healthy normal relationship into this? Didn’t she know he was up shit’s creek without a paddle? How the fuck was he supposed to know he was talking to her wrong if she didn’t tell him? “Yeah well you’re not exactly perfect either sweetheart,” he retorted, his barb just irritating her further, “quit riding my ass,” he commanded before he realized he’d just told her what to do again.</p><p>She balled both her fists at her sides, “screw you Tora! Do you realize how inconsiderate you are sometimes? You think I want to look at your cigarette butts when I’m painting? Or pick up your clothes off the damn floor <em>every</em> day? I mean the damn hamper is right there,” she said, jabbing her finger at it, “would it kill you to just put them where they belong?” she cried.</p><p>He rolled his eyes, he <em>was</em> considerate of her and he’d been actively trying to be <em>more</em> considerate of her since he moved in. He let her sleep, he gave her space, he let her choose the movie even when he wasn’t sure he could handle anymore chick flicks and he’d let her have her way about guns hadn’t he? What more did he need to do? Why did she need to be upset over fucking clothes? He wracked his brain desperately for something, anything, to throw back at her, “oh ya, I’m the bad guy for leaving my clothes on the floor, at least I don’t try to use you as a fucking foot warmer or try to kill ya with fucking plants. I mean Christ, why the fuck do you need so fucking many?” He argued, referring to how many plant related head injuries he’d suffered since he’d met her.</p><p>“They were here first!” she screamed; “It’s not my fault you’re careless!” she countered.</p><p>“I’M CARELESS?” he thundered, “BEFORE I CAME AROUND YOU DIDN’T EVEN LOCK YOUR FUCKING DOORS!” he bellowed.</p><p>Poppy grit her teeth, not the least bit intimidated by his volume, she was not discussing her locks again, she refused to take the bait, “oh go learn how to park Tora,” she spat, stomping back to the kitchen.   </p><p>He made the mistake of following her, “Don’t you dare walk away from me,” he ordered.</p><p>She spun on her heel, “And don’t <em>you </em>dare keep ordering me around!” she retorted, slamming cupboard doors as she pulled out what she needed to make dinner, needing to busy herself lest she were tempted to throw something else at him, was this how he felt all the time? She was so angry. “Bugger off Tora, just go empty your ashtray, or better yet, throw the damn thing out and stop smoking. It’s a disgusting habit.” She lashed out.</p><p>“Maybe if you weren’t being  such a <em>bitch</em> I wouldn’t feel the need to smoke so much,” he muttered. When she was sweet to him he barely fucking smoked. He’d been chain smoking a lot lately ‘cause he was so <em>worried</em> about <em>her</em> with this motherfucker still sending her creepy messages. Her nagging hadn’t helped either. So much for making sure she’d never want him to leave.</p><p>She spun on him, jabbing a finger into his chest, “maybe I wouldn’t be such a bitch if you would just help around the house a little,” she seethed. She’d had just about enough of him; did he even have any idea how much she sacrificed to be with him? How much patience and constant catering to him was required on her end to actually make their messed up relationship work? And that wasn’t even touching on his damn mood swings. She never knew which Tora was going to pick her up from work, the angry Tora or the sweet one she was in love with? She only ever made small requests of him; couldn’t he just do them when she asked? Why did she have to wait days and sometimes just end up doing them herself when she got sick of waiting? And damn him and his issue with authority, if she didn’t phrase everything she wanted him to do as a question it was like instant rebellion from him. A bitch? She was surprised she hadn’t been given a <em>sainthood</em> for putting up with him.</p><p>He grabbed her wrist, pulling her hand away to cease her stabbing, “you never cared what I did before,” he spat.</p><p>She tried to pull it away from him but he just tightened his grip on her, infuriating her further. Why the hell did he always have to manhandle her? Why did he seem to think being bigger and stronger than her meant he could do whatever he wanted? “You were a flippin’ guest before,” she retorted maliciously, knowing exactly what to say to hurt him as payback for the bitch comment.</p><p>“A guest, a fucking guest,” he dropped her wrist in disgust, “I’ve never just been a fucking guest and you know it,” he snarled.</p><p>Poppy rolled her eyes, “oh yeah Tora, you’re right, you’ve always been king of the castle and I’m just your 1930’s housewife who cooks and cleans and spreads her legs whenever you say so and has to beg permission to do anything or go anywhere cause you’re a <strong><em>man</em> </strong>and always have to be in control,” she lectured him sarcastically. “In case you haven’t noticed, it’s the 21<sup>st</sup> century, I’m not your slave, stop being such a damn caveman and learn how to scrub a damn toilet,” she added viciously.</p><p>Tora pulled back his lip in a snarl, she wasn’t being fair at all, sure he was demanding sexually but he’d been better about that lately and she jumped him plenty and he did do dishes and make diner occasionally, he’d admit their division of housework wasn’t even close to equal but she’d never expressed frustration over it. She’d done all of it on her own before he’d moved in. Why the fuck did that have to change? As for his overly controlling behaviour it was entirely situational and she knew it, he wasn’t about to apologize for keeping her safe, “well if I’m so fucking awful to you, and bother you so much why the fuck did you ask me to live with you?” he demanded angrily.</p><p>                Poppy threw up her hands in exasperation, “protection,” she stated flippantly, her word choice cutting him deep as she preset the oven, stabbing the buttons with her little fingers.</p><p>                He turned away from her, “fuck you Poppy,” he muttered, stomping out of the kitchen, shoving his feet in his shoes, slamming the door behind him. Protection? Fucking <em>protection</em>. He didn’t know why he was so mad. That was exactly what had prompted their living arrangements. He had no idea why he’d been expecting any other response. He’d wanted her to say ‘because I love you and you make me feel safe’ but of course not, that was too much to hope for and not how things had gone down at all. He was a fucking fool. She hadn’t said it again even <em>once</em> since that first time. Granted he hadn’t said it either but she was always so fucking open with him he had hoped she’d say it all the time after she’d said it the first time.</p><p>He shoved his way through the main door to the building and leaned against the wall, lighting a cigarette. Fuck. FUCK. Why couldn’t he have just emptied the fucking ashtray when she’d asked him to the first time? He banged his head off the brick wall behind him. She was right, he did order her around. It wasn’t intentional; it was just the way he talked. Always had been. He’d grown up giving and taking orders. He hadn’t realized how much his tone and syntax mattered to her. He’d been trying to be better for her; he just hadn’t realized so much of himself was a problem for her. She was right about the cigarettes too, he knew it was bad for him but fuck, he needed a fucking vice. He didn’t drink, or fuck around with drugs or gamble or sleep around. He wasn’t a monk and he had issues. He needed the fucking nicotine. How could she not get that?</p><p>Speaking of things that annoyed them about each other, did she not realize how goddamn crazy her glitter made him? Why the fuck did everything she owned have to be fucking ‘bedazzled’? He had even noticed the shit on his suit the last time he’d worn it. That fucking shit was harder to get rid of than a mole in prison. He tried desperately to hold onto the anger before his eyes softened and his body sagged. He shook his head sighing at his own pettiness, it didn’t really matter, it did irritate him but at this point he was just grasping at straws to try to find something to be pissed at her for. He didn’t even care when she rubbed her fucking icicle feet all over his calves. It wasn’t a nice feeling and often woke him out of a dead sleep in the middle of the night, feeling like a corpse had just brushed up against him, but he’d spent months waking her up for sex before he’d moved in, he couldn’t really be mad at her for seeking warmth in return. He didn’t even give a single fuck about her plants, who gave a shit how many she had if they made her happy? He needed to go back upstairs and apologize. The shit she’d said mattered. The shit he’d said was just stupid. He’d empty the ashtray, and make dinner tonight, and run her a bath, and pick up his clothes and do whatever the fuck else she wanted. He just wanted his sweetheart back, he wanted her to smile at him and cuddle with him and tell him he made her happy. That’s all he really wanted, her to be <em>happy</em>.</p><p>He’d only been gone for a minute before Poppy had felt like a pile of dog crap. She held the lip of the counter, her shoulders scrunched up by her ears, her mouth a flat line as she stared ahead at the underside of a cabinet. Why did she have to call him a guest? She was still angry about how disrespectful he was towards her sometimes but she’d promised herself she’d make him feel a sense of belonging with her. Her eyes softened, from what little he’d shared with her about his childhood she knew it had been rough, and cold and devoid of most familial bonding. Why would he think of others? She sighed, lowering her elbows to the counter, folding her arms, resting her face on them. She understood all that but would it kill him to pull his own weight around the house? She really was starting to feel like he was taking advantage of her. She wasn’t his maid. She had known living with him wouldn’t be easy and she was the one that had asked him to move in, but it was still so early in their relationship. They weren’t ready for this level of commitment yet, hell they still struggled to communicate most of the time. Not for the first time that week she cursed her gift giver for forcing her hand with Tora. She would have never have asked him to move in this soon if it weren’t for Creepypants.</p><p>She closed her eyes, everything was always so intense with Tora, this relationship was so much harder than the one she’d had with Julri. Navigating Tora’s mental health was like tiptoeing through a minefield. She never knew what was going to set him off and she was never sure what was taboo to talk about and what wasn’t, half the time it changed depending on the day, his mood or where the freaking sun happened to be in the sky. She could only imagine the stress he was under and the guilt he lugged around with him like a ball and chain to make him like that. Her heart ached for him. He had terrible nightmares; he would thrash in his sleep and sometimes wake up in a cold sweat. He never shared with her what they were about but she was smart enough to piece together that it probably had something to do with the nights he showed up with blood spatter on him. He thought she didn’t notice, he always tried to clean it off before coming but he missed spots regularly. She just didn’t say anything. There was no point upsetting him. It was a moot point anyways, she’d already accepted it. Just like everything else about him.</p><p>Her phone beeped, she whipped it out of her back pocket, overwhelmed with disappoint when she realized it was just Mylo again, not Tora. Mylo had been texting her on and off since they’d run into each other at the coffee shop. He’d been a nice distraction while she was under house arrest, most of their discussions revolving around high school memories or gossip from Moonbright about mutual friends they had. She ignored his text, tossing her phone on the counter in annoyance. The irony of the very Tora like mannerism lost on her in her current emotional state.</p><p>She sighed, who was she kidding? She loved him despite everything. She doubted there was much he could do she wouldn't forgive him for. God help her she <em>loved</em> him. He was most definitely the most difficult man she’d ever been with and his job should have been enough to warn her away from him but she was crazy about him. She was just so comfortable with him; he was so damn charming when he tried to be, and he loved her. He’d never actually said the words but the ‘same’ he’d muttered after she’d said it counted didn’t it? And she knew for a fact when push came to shove, he would do anything for her. That counted for a lot didn’t it? Who cared if he was more difficult than Julri? Tora would never cheat on her or lie to her. She ran both her hands through her hair, tossing her head back to stare at the ceiling. She took deep breaths. She was gonna have to be the bigger person again like she always was and apologize first. Tell him calmly what she needed from him in order to make living together better for both of them. God knew they both had flaws and issues but his were so much deeper than hers. Well, at least, that was another lie she liked to tell herself. She tried to keep his trauma in mind when he was on her nerves but he’d just pushed her too far today. She just wished he’d stop running away when he was mad. Being abandoned was such a huge trigger for her, stemming from her father’s passing. She was aware of it but it didn’t change the way she felt. Why did everyone she loved always end up leaving her? Shit. Wrong train of thought. She wasn’t strong enough to stop it though.</p><p>Thinking about him walking out like that again made her want to cry, she could feel the burning in her nose before she felt the tears welling. Goddamn it. Why did she always have to be such a cry baby? She was a grown ass woman; she could handle one little argument without bawling her eyes out couldn’t she? She’d had really good points too! Most of what she’d said was justified! She wiped at the tears, but oh god she’d hurt him again, and he’d <em>left</em> again. What if he didn’t come back? He was coming back right? He was just mad, he wouldn’t leave her alone, he hadn’t left her alone since the night of the flowers. She choked on a sob. Tora was coming back. She repeated it like a mantra to herself. He loved her. He knew how much she wanted him. He had to come back. What was she supposed to do without him? She loved him. She exited the kitchen and made her way to her bed, grabbing her Totoro stuffy as she crawled on top of it, hugging it as she wrestled with and eventually lost to her tears.</p><p>                That’s how Tora found her a few minutes later when he finally made his way back up to the apartment.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Part One of making up, Part Two is tomorrow ;P </p><p>You guys sustain me, you tell me you drop things to read my chapter updates? I assure you the feeling is mutual. I drop all my shit to read your commentary :P</p><p>Okay, the music on this one though!<br/>Songs:<br/>Poppy &amp; Tora:<br/>Unsteady by X Ambassadors<br/>Beautiful Trauma by Pink<br/>Come Down by Noah Kohan<br/>The Man by Aloe Blacc (fun fact I'm obsessed with this song used it as my partner's ring tone for almost 5years)</p><p>Love Me by Felix Cartal &amp; Lights (Mr. Creepypants)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                Tora heard her crying the minute he pushed open the door, he sighed, closing it behind him, locking it. God knew she wasn’t gonna come do it. She hadn’t even locked it while he was gone. He flattened his palm against the back of it, his fingers supporting his weight as he warred with himself, his eyes pained. Why was being wrong so hard? He sighed; the sound of her sniffles piercing through what little remained of the weak flaking armour he still had welded to his heart. He leaned his forehead against his hand. Love. At one point it had been so foreign to him. Now though, now it was the only thing that mattered to him. Happy. He wanted her to be happy. What a great job he’d done of that so far eh? Why’d he have to be so fucked? Why couldn’t he be the man she deserved? He exhaled slowly, pushing himself off the door before moving to sit next to her on the bed. She looked up at him when she felt the sag of the mattress next to her. “Don’t cry Poppy, I’m sorry I’m such an ass, please, I can’t stand seeing you hurt. I tears me up inside.” He pleaded weakly.</p><p>                Poppy squeezed her plushy tighter, overwhelmed by her feelings, she was so relieved he was back but she was still so angry with him, for his tone, his treatment, for <em>leaving</em>, she just couldn’t get past that last one, “I-I t-thought y-you l-left!” she spit out between sobs. “P-please don’t l-leave me a-again!” She cried.</p><p>                He sighed again and looked at her sadly, at least she still wanted him around, that was a good sign right? He needed to reassure her how much it meant to him, her presence, their life together, “Yeah right, you’re not getting rid of me that easy. I went downstairs for a smoke to cool off; I would never leave you Poppy. Not by choice anyways. Please don’t cry sweetheart. I’ll do better; I’ll do whatever you tell me too. I’m sorry I’m an asshole. I promise I’m not going anywhere, I’d need to be six feet under not to come crawling back to you.” He apologized.</p><p>                She pushed her stuffy to the side and crawled into his lap, trying desperately to stop the flood of tears leaking from her eyes. She couldn’t bear to think about him dying, it just made her cry harder. He squeezed her tightly, “I-I’m s-so s-sorry I called you a-a guest. You’re e-everything t-to me Tora,” she apologized with shaky breaths.</p><p>                Tora cupped her cheek with his palm, smiling sadly as he wiped away her tears with his thumb; he felt he could breathe again. He hadn’t expected an apology from her, he wasn’t even sure he actually merited it after the way he’d obviously been making her feel. It made what he knew he needed to say a little easier though. “It’s okay sweetheart. I deserved it. I’m a little surprised ya still want me after some of the shit ya said. I’m sorry I order you around, it’s not intentional, it’s just the way I talk. I’ll try my best but it’s gonna take me a long time to unlearn it. Can ya be patient with me?” he asked. </p><p>She nodded into his chest, damning her tears, “I’ll a-always want you Tora,” she attempted to reassure him, “I’m sorry for b-being a b-bitch,” she whispered, relieved to be in his arms. She pressed her cheek to his heart, taking comfort in the strong steady beat. Reassuring herself that he wasn’t going to die. He was too strong, too powerful, too healthy. He wouldn’t get sick, he wouldn’t leave her. He wasn’t going anywhere.</p><p>He shrugged, “Don’t apologize.” He knew he could be a real ass to her sometimes, it was probably about time he got a taste of his own medicine, he’d felt like he’d been walking around on eggshells around her the last few days. He really hoped he didn’t make her feel that way all the time. “Based on all that pent up rage ya just let out, I’m thinking I might have deserved some of it, if not all of it. I’ll do more around the apartment if it really matters that much to ya, but ya have to tell me when I fuck up. Don’t hold it in and bottle it up. I’m not a fucking mind reader Poppy, I’m not gonna be able to fix what I did to upset ya unless ya tell me what I did wrong.” He offered, enjoying having her cuddled against him, her presence was so soothing, he inhaled deeply through his nose, letting her scent relax him further, she always smelled so good.</p><p> She exhaled slowly, pushing aside her dark thoughts as she tried to focus on what he was saying. Do more around the apartment? Right. Focus. No more crying. He was alive and strong and back in their home with her. Deep breaths. Be calm. Tell him what you need from him. She nodded as he finished, admitting to herself that she did have a habit of holding things in to keep from rocking the boat. She just hated confrontation so much. If she just told him immediately maybe she wouldn’t have become so angry with him. She took a calming breathe before explaining, “I do like cooking for you and you do help me occasionally and I don’t mind doing a little more of the housework, but only ‘cause I like things done a certain way. I don’t even mind doing your laundry with mine but I would really appreciate it if you wouldn’t double the work I have to do, or leave it all for me all the time. I need you to help me. Having two people around should make managing this place easier, not harder. It’d be really nice if you could do the grocery shopping while I’m at work and clean the bathroom now and then or throw on a load of laundry if you’re just playing video games but if you could <em>just clean up</em> after yourself it would make a huge difference. Just put things where they belong k? And then I won’t nag you. Like it takes the same amount of effort to put the toothpaste back in the drawer as it does to set it on the counter. It’s infuriating because I feel like you’re just leaving it for me to do. You’re like a tornado as you move from room to room,” She told him as calmly as possible, keeping her breathing even.</p><p>Tora nodded, he supposed that was pretty fair, he was a bit of a slob, hell she was even still offering to do more than him, had she always put more effort in than him? It nagged at him. He wanted to do something for her, take something off her shoulders. “I’ll do my best sweetheart, I think I can handle all that. Will ya let me pay the rent this month to make it up to ya? For being a shithead?” he asked seriously. He might have no idea how to talk to her the way she wanted him to, and be shit at keeping house, but he could sure as shit provide for her. If she’d let him. He didn’t have much to offer her but he could do that. Hell, he’d told Gyu a long time ago to make sure she got every cent he had if anything ever happened to him.</p><p>She rolled her eyes, “I’d prefer you just put your damn clothes in the hamper,” she countered, smiling at him, no maliciousness in her tone. She didn’t understand why he always tried to show his affection through money; didn’t he know all she wanted from him was his time? Time to be together? Her face fell, it was so fleeting. She wanted all the time with him she could get.</p><p>He smirked, “Can I do both?” Tora asked adamantly, dropping a kiss on the top of her head, disrupting her thoughts.</p><p>Poppy smiled, “I love you,” she giggled; shaking her head at his ridiculous request, of course he could do both if he really wanted to.  He lived here now didn’t he?</p><p>He smiled at her, her statement like a healing balm to his bruised heart; he was never going to get sick of those three words. “Are we okay again?” he asked seriously.</p><p>She eyed him, “if you empty the ashtray and water that plant for me,” she said shifting in his embrace to point at the one she couldn’t reach, “then yes.” She offered with a brilliant smile.</p><p>Tora grinned at her, “Done, but why that specific plant?” he asked curiously.</p><p>Poppy shrugged, “I can’t reach it, you tied it too high,” she explained.</p><p>Tora barked out a laugh, “Sorry sweetheart, had to save my forehead from more goose eggs. Of course I’ll water it for ya.” he told her, nuzzling her, “you’re my girl; I’d do anything for ya.”</p><p>Poppy wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, “and you’re <em>the</em> man,” she teased, peppering his face with kisses.</p><p>Tora raised his brows sceptically, “don’t ya mean your man?” he asked seriously.</p><p>She shook her head ‘no’, adopting the language she’d heard some of his men use on the phone with him, “naw bruh, you the Tiger of Ares Street, you <em>the man</em> to everyone,” she giggled, “but you’re <em>my</em> tiger, my grouchy, temperamental cuddly tiger.” She teased.</p><p>                He rolled his eyes at her joke, “oh ya, and being <em>the man</em> is working out real well for me isn’t it? Forget Tiger, I’m like a fucking Teddy Bear with you.”</p><p>                Poppy sucked in her bottom lip to keep from laughing at his ludicrous statement, “Oh yeah, Tora’s a real softy, said no one ever.”</p><p>                He laughed and squeezed her tighter, “Yeah well, only with you sweetheart. Don’t tell anyone, you’ll ruin my rep,” he warned, tickling her, twisting them around so he could climb over her on the bed, pinning her as he tickled her mercilessly a wide grin spreading over his features, he loved the sound of her laughter.</p><p>                Poppy gasped for air between laughing fits, “T-Tora! T-T-Tora shtap!” she begged, trying to roll away from his fingers, a bright smile on her lips.</p><p>                He stilled his fingers, letting his hands circle her waist, his eyes brimming with emotion as he gazed down at her. Her hair flared out around her, her eyes still puffy from all her crying, his heart clenching as he leaned down to kiss her. “I love you Poppylan, I meant what I said. Whatever it takes. I’m gonna do right by ya.” He promised before capturing her mouth with his. </p><p>~             ~           ~</p><p>                Poppy lounged in the bath, staring at him as he sat on the floor, his back leaning against the vanity later that night. He’d spent the evening doing everything he’d promised, going as far as making dinner and then running her a bath as he clean up the kitchen. He’d come in to sit with her the minute he was finished. “So, as much as I hate ruining the affectionate vibe we’ve had tonight, how’s the hunt for Mr. Creepypants coming?”  she asked, staring at him.</p><p>                Tora rolled his eyes at the stupid nickname she’d given the mofo. “I’ve got Gyu trying to track every package he’s ever sent ya. He hacked your shit no problem, said ya need to pick a harder password. Said his efforts were wasted on something so simple and that he should have just guessed it was ‘unicorn’, like what the fuck Bobby? Unicorn? Really?” He eyed her, extremely unimpressed. He didn’t share about his truck search. That wasn’t going as planned and there was no point in freaking her out until he knew for sure. Everyone he’d tracked thus far hadn’t gone anywhere near her, he hadn’t seen the truck again, he was starting to worry it was all for naught and it had just been a coincidence. He was already more than halfway through his list and so far..nada.</p><p>                Poppy blushed and pushed around the bubbles around her, “what’s wrong with unicorns? I <em>like </em>unicorns.” She argued weakly, knowing he and Gyu may have a point.</p><p>                He smiled at her and shrugged, “I gathered that sweetheart, but fuck, I don’t even have social media and even <em>I </em>know ya should have some capitals and numbers in that shit.” He teased before growing serious once more, “I’m sorry; I wish I had better news for ya but this guy isn’t making it easy.” After a long discussion she’d let Tora stalk her himself three days in a row, he hadn’t noticed anyone out of the ordinary, or anyone paying any really focused attention to her. Lots of people looked at her, women and men alike and lots of people stopped to talk to her but no one gave him creepy vibes. He found it a little odd that she kept running into her friend Mylo at the coffee shop but she had assured him that she knew him well and he was good shit. That him being there was nothing more than a shared timing for their morning commute.</p><p>He didn’t like how often the guy had been texting her but he would concede he had been pretty restrictive of her outside work activity and she was a pretty social person. It also wasn’t like the guy texted her any more often than Erdene and Jacob. Hell Erdene texted her every day, it always amazed him that they could still find shit to talk about even after spending all day together at work. He frowned. He felt useless; he wished he could tell her he’d dealt with it and she could go back to her normal life. He knew she missed her friends, hell he’d offered to take her to go see them outside work but she’d said she’d wait until she could go alone. His face fell further; he knew he was cramping her space, he should have offered to take her and wait in the car while she visited; he supposed there wasn’t that much harm in letting her visit with people she trusted right? They’d spent more time together in the last two weeks then they had in the last few months combined. After their fight earlier he was pretty sure she was getting sick of him.</p><p>                  She nodded sadly, “It’s okay Tora, I know you’ll find him eventually. Quincey told me once that there isn’t much you can’t do. I know you got this. I believe in you,” she assured him, grinning broadly.</p><p>                Tora smirked at her from his spot on the floor, still not quite sure what he’d done right to have her in his life. It was really hard to feel worthy of her sometimes.  </p><p>~              ~           ~</p><p>                Mylo was furious, Poppylan had left his first message on ‘read’, it had been hours and she hadn’t replied. She was usually very prompt about responding to him. He read over all three messages he’d sent hours apart.</p><p>
  <em>How’s your night going? Have you seen the moon? It sucks not being able to see the stars here like you can in Moonbright.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>You busy? </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I’m looking forward to seeing you this weekend.</em>
</p><p>                What in the world had happened? Why was she ignoring him? Did she have company again? Surely not this late at night. That wouldn’t be appropriate. He slammed his phone against the counter of his kitchenette, pacing back and forth, pushing his glasses back up every time they slipped down his nose. This was bullshit, this was the second time she’d done this to him. This was unacceptable. He never remembered her ever being so inconsiderate. This was because of being in the city. People got distracted here, too focused on their work instead of the people around them. Everyone was fucking rude. No one had any manners. This place was corrupting her. Poppylan was sweet and thoughtful and selfless and would have never done this to him otherwise. Yes. This city was the problem. He could feel it himself. He had always been a patient man. This place was the problem. He took a long, deep breath. He moved to sit on his single bed, leaning back, supporting his weight on his palms as he stared up at the ceiling. Everything would be well again once they got back to Moonbright. Life would slow down and she would go back to being herself. He closed his eyes, picturing her, in that sundress from the other day, sitting on the porch swing next to him, sipping her tea as they stargazed. Perfect.</p><p>He sighed, feeling calmer already. He smiled as he fished in his pocket for a moment, pulling out his final gift for her. He hoped she’d liked the others. He opened the small box and looked down lovingly at the ring he’d bought her. A simple promise ring, to go along with a heartfelt commitment. He hoped he’d gotten the right size. Her hands were so small, but it barely fit over the first knuckle of his own ring finger, so hoped it would be right. He slipped it on, laying back, he ran over his final poem for her in his head. She would never by alone again. He would always be there for her. Julri had told him how hard her father’s death had been on her. He knew what she needed. He got up and grabbed his notepad. This one would be hand written. An old and true testament of love. A line that had been a part of his parents wedding vows.</p><p>Dearest Poppylan,</p><p>I promise, from this day forward, you shall not walk alone, may my heart be your shelter, and my arms be your home.</p><p>Eternally Devoted to you,</p><p>Mylo</p><p>He grinned to himself. He couldn’t wait to give it to her. She was going to love it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, I'm going away tonight for the weekend so unfortunately there won't be an update tomorrow as I'm not taking my laptop...don't kill me for leaving you here. I promise I'll post the next chapter on Sunday. Also, I may have a little something saved in drafts for Requests that I'll post this afternoon as a peace offering before I leave :P hahahaha. </p><p>As always, Enjoy, let me know your thoughts &amp; Happy Chapter Day!! </p><p>Heads up, NSFW today.</p><p>Song suggestions:<br/>Love On Top – Beyonce (haha little play on words for Poppy)<br/>She’s so high – Tal Bachman &amp; Teddy Bear – Elvis (Tora)<br/>Can I be Him – James Arthur (Mr. Creepypants)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>  Poppy frowned down at her messages as she plugged her phone in to charge for the night. She had forgotten about Mylo in the aftermath of her fight with Tora. In fact, things had been so crazy with the presence of Mr.Creepypants in her life that she had all together forgotten about their outing this weekend.  Her thumbs hovered over the keyboard as she debated how to tell him she wouldn’t be able to make it. Instead she pulled a hand away, biting her thumb in hesitation, turning to look at Tora as he sat in bed looking at his own phone. Oh fudge biscuits; she had never been good at disappointing people or saying no. She was so conflicted. Either way she was going to dissatisfy one of them. She really didn’t want to fight with Tora anymore. Mylo would understand wouldn’t he? He was certainly the least temperamental out of the two. He’d always been patient, sweet and personable growing up. She couldn’t think of a single person she knew that hadn’t liked him. Besides, she wasn’t really cancelling just postponing again right? She agonized, unconsciously releasing a small worry filled whine.</p><p>Her fretting caught Tora’s attention, he watched her bite her thumb, her face creased with indecision and worry. When she whimpered he narrowed his eyes at her; they had been having a really good night since talking things out. What could have bothered her so much? He studied her profile. “Come to bed sweetheart, whatever it is, I’m sure it can wait till tomorrow,” he instructed before catching himself, “please?” he added in an attempt to make it sound less like an order.</p><p>Poppy set her phone down without replying to Mylo and crawled in next to Tora, lying on her stomach, shoving her face into the pillow. How did she communicate that she wanted to hang out with Mylo without upsetting him? He could be so sensitive. He covered her legs with the blanket, setting his own phone aside as he lay down next to her. He tugged up the back of her pyjama tank top and began giving her back tickles, moving the tips of his fingers over her slowly in circular motions. She sighed, shoving her hands under her pillow as she turned to face him with a bright smile. She loved when he did this and he knew it.</p><p>He smiled back at her, his own arm pillowing his head, “what’s got your panties in a bunch sweetheart?” he asked warmly.</p><p>She snorted at his question before her smile disappeared, her trepidation returning, “I forgot I told Mylo I’d have coffee with him this weekend. He told me he’s looking forward to seeing me. I feel bad about having to tell him I can’t, especially on such short notice.” She explained.</p><p>                Tora sighed, feeling like shit about his own failure to fix this for her, she should be able to see her friends. “Doesn’t he see you almost every day at the coffee shop?” he pointed out, flattening his hand so he could rub his palm over her skin.</p><p>                Poppy closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation and warmth of his hand, “Mmmmm,” she moaned, “it’s not the same as being able to sit and talk and not worry about time.” She murmured, focused on his movements.</p><p>                He sighed, “I’ll take you to see him if it means that much to ya,” he offered, slipping his hand up her shirt to knead her shoulder lightly with the heel of his palm.</p><p>                She relaxed further under his ministrations, snuggling into her pillow, “please take this the right way Tora but I really don’t want you to intimidate Mylo or give him the wrong impression before he gets to know you. Remember when you first met Jacob?” she reminded him softly.</p><p>                Tora rolled his eyes at the memory; he had scared the poor guy shitless. He hadn’t actually meant to, having already forgiven him at her behest about Jacob’s commentary on her body, but he’d been in a shit mood after meeting with Vince. Upon reflection he probably shouldn’t have agreed to meet up with her and her friends that night considering how foul his mood had been but he’d wanted to see her.  He’d just sat there like a grouch, glaring, not saying much until Poppy had finally agreed to let him take her home. It had taken three more get togethers before Jacob would look him in the eye without appearing nervous.</p><p>He frowned, “Fair enough but I’m sorry sweetheart, I’m not letting you go out in public alone, not until I deal with the creep, but you can have Mylo over here if you want? I’ll go hang out on the roof for a couple hours if you want to visit with him alone?” he offered in consolation, already running through a security plan. He’d thought about offering to wait in the car but he didn’t feel comfortable having her out of arm’s reach in such a public place with multiple exits. The apartment was fairly safe though, and he could keep an eye out from the roof, she’d have to text him throughout the visit though. He’d prefer not to be away from her at all but the only privacy she’d had aside from work in over a week from him was bathroom time due to the small size of the apartment. He could give her this, no matter how much anxiety it gave him. His face fell, overwhelmed with shame, disappointed in himself that it’d taken him this long to value her happiness as heavily as her safety.</p><p>                Poppy’s eyes flew open, a smile spreading over her face, “really?” she breathed, her eyes twinkling.</p><p>                He smirked at her, sliding his hand down her spine, letting it rest heavily over her lower back where it arched to meet her bottom. “Of course Bobby, I’m sorry for making ya feel like ya can’t see your friends, I’m just worried ‘bout ya.” He explained.</p><p>                She grinned widely at him as she rolled, his hand slipping around to the curve of her waist. He slid it down to cover her bottom, dragging her over to him. She giggled, plastering her hands to his bare chest as she looked up at him. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.” She told him softly.</p><p>                He dipped his head to kiss her, breaking it to trail kisses across her jaw and cheek up to her ear, “Ya wanna show me how much?” he whispered cheekily, referring back to the words she’d spoken to him on her knees the night of the flower fight.</p><p>                She thumped him in the chest, rolling her eyes as he chuckled at his own joke, rolling onto his back. When she started moving down the bed he gapped at her, “shit Bobby, it was a joke, ya don’t need to do that,” he assured her as she tugged the blanket off his hips.</p><p>                Poppy raised her brows at him, “what if I feel like it?” she laughed at the lustful look on his face, “you don’t want me to?” she teased dipping her mouth to press kisses along the waistband of his briefs.</p><p>                Tora inhaled sharply, his underwear beginning to tent already, “Fuck Bobby, I always want you to but ya need to turn around. How am I supposed to eat ya if ya way down there?” he offered with a smirk and an arched brow.</p><p>                Poppy laughed and rose to her knees pushing her pyjama bottoms and panties down and off one leg before swinging it over his chest, her back to him before she leaned over, his hands on her thighs, already dragging her back away from his cock and towards his mouth. Tora grinned; deciding this time their make-up sex would be all about her pleasure. Besides, he was shit with words, letting his body speak for him had always been his forte.</p><p>                She giggled at the hand he had reached up to splay over her torso to prevent her from reaching down to touch him. Was it about her this time then? However, her laughter ceased immediately the moment his mouth touched her, replaced by a throaty moan. She spread her legs wider, sinking lower, bringing herself more firmly against him. This was new. He had licked her many times but never like this. If they weren’t sixty nineing he was always on top, she was <em>always</em> on her back, or on her knees face down, she didn’t know what to do with her hands. Usually she buried them in his hair or twisted them in the sheets. She bucked against him as his tongue passed deliciously over her clit. She ground against his mouth out of reflex. This was new too; he usually held her hips down so he could pleasure her the way he wanted. She rocked against his tongue taking advantage of the freedom, one hand gripping the lip of the headboard as the other gripped his wrist as he pressed it against her abdomen, her nails digging into his flesh as he buried his tongue deep.</p><p>                Tora was living for her reactions, every shift of her hips turning him on more and more. He had no idea why he’d never had her sit on his face before. It was so much easier this way, it didn’t strain his neck any when he could just relax against the pillow. He used his free hand to tug on her thigh, bringing her closer, eliminating what little breathing room he had left so he could seal his mouth over her completely, pressing open mouthed kisses to her sex as he traced patterns over her with his tongue. He released her thigh in favour of reaching up under her loose tank top to roll a nipple, enjoying the sounds she made and the way she bucked erratically as he pinched and pulled and tweaked.</p><p>                Poppy was in heaven, experiencing more stimulation then she’d felt in a long time as she ground her hips on him in small circles. What he was doing felt incredible; she had never felt so powerful with him before. She arched her back, undulating her hips back and forth over him as he lapped at her. She was so wet she was surprised he wasn’t drowning. His tongue was working overtime on her though and he was strong enough to lift her off him if he really needed to breathe right? She moaned again, closing her eyes, mind going blank, her apprehension melting away as he grazed her clit with his teeth, his own groan vibrating through her.</p><p>                Christ, he was so fucking hard, she was so fucking beautiful and responsive and perfect. He took great pride in how wet she was right now, after all, the wetter the woman the more desirable the man right? He could do this all night, <em>happily</em>. Fuck, he could probably cum just from her moaning and mewling with his own hand. Actually, that didn’t sound like a bad idea. He grabbed the hand she had wrapped around his forearm and moved it to her breast trying to encourage her to pleasure herself before reaching his own hand down, shoving it in his underwear, jerking himself as his other hand snaked down to her hip, holding on to her as he devoured her.  He grinned against her dripping slit; he’d always held her up on a pedestal, he should hold her above him, <em>literally</em>, more often.</p><p>                Poppy was lost, adrift in a sea of sensation, it had never felt this good before, she teased both nipples with her hands, why did it feel so fantastic? Was it because she could move? She rolled against him. Yes. It had to be, in this position she could back off or press harder and move so his tongue touched her at exactly the right spot at exactly the right time. She looked down at his muscled torso and the silhouette of his hand working himself. It made her hot to think that doing this to her was turning him on that much. His own hips were bucking to meet his hand. She threw her head back, closing her eyes as his teeth grazed her again, fudge biscuits he was good at this. A wicked thought hit her, she wondered if she was brave enough to take control that way. Screw it, he did it to her all the time and she loved it. If he didn’t like it, he’d stop her. She was going to take advantage for as long as he’d allow it. Reaching behind her with one hand she thread her fingers through his hair gently before closing around a fistful. Her other hand braced against the center of his chest as she rode his tongue, her hips picking up speed as she felt the pressure of her orgasm building.</p><p>                Tora was both shocked and further aroused by her aggressiveness, who knew his little hamster had claws? He jerked himself harder, more rapidly. He was gonna cum; explosively. She was holding his head, directing his movements, using him for her own pleasure. This was incredible, she was incredible, why the fuck had they never done this before? Hearing her shouting and moaning and groaning in ecstasy was the best thing he’d ever fucking heard. He never wanted it to end. He’d tongue fuck her like this for hours if she wanted. Hell, she could fucking suffocate him and he wouldn’t fucking move if she was enjoying it. She groaned gutturally, her inner thighs spasming violently around his head and shoulders as she came hard, her pussy unleashing a tidal wave over his mouth and chin as her body jerked uncontrollably through it.</p><p>                Poppy collapsed forward against him, her whole body shuddering. What the hell was that? What had just happened? She noticed scattily that he’d cum, soiling his drawers, his hand still on his cock. She was breathing hard, trying to slow her heart rate, she felt like she was about to have a heart attack, her eyes round with wonder. She had no idea an orgasm could feel like that. Holy <em>shit</em>. No wonder the French called it the <em>little</em> <em>death</em>.</p><p>                Tora stared at the ceiling pensively, deep in contemplation, Poppy sprawled over his chest. Where the fuck had <em>that</em> come from? She could <em>squirt</em>? Why the fuck had she never done it before? He’d cum the minute she’d done it, pushed over the edge by the tsunami of her own pleasure. He wanted to kick himself, his eyes glazing with shame. Had he really never pleased her enough to make her do that before? He reflected on their sexual history, trying to figure out what had been so different this time, sucking in a harsh breath when he realized he’d never let her be dominant before. Not even <em>once</em>. Not even when she was on top. Fuck. Oh he was the worst kind of ass wasn’t he? He glanced down at her, distracted momentarily by the view; she was still spread wide over his chest, her ass in his face. Fuck he liked that view. He needed to talk to her though and he needed her face for that. “Sweetheart?”</p><p>                She licked her lips and slowly pushed her spent body off him, flipping onto her back, her head by his knees, her feet at his shoulders. “Yes?” she breathed, finally succeeding in slowing her heartbeat.</p><p>                He exhaled, sitting up so he could look down at her, her eyes were closed, she looked exhausted in the best way possible. “Was that good for you?” he asked, a brow arched.</p><p>                “Is that a joke?” she replied lazily, “I didn’t even know someone could feel something like that. How’d ya do that Tora?” she inquired, her eyes fluttering open to look up at him.</p><p>                He shrugged, “I gave you all the power.” He admitted sheepishly.</p><p>                She closed her eyes, the impact of his words hitting her hard. “So I won’t get to feel that way very often then eh?” she asked softly, utterly disappointed.</p><p>                Tora’s heart was shattering, was he really that bad? Fuck. Who was he kidding? He didn’t know how to <em>not</em> be in control. Whenever he let go of the reins people got hurt. People died. It didn’t have to be that way with Poppy though right? What was it she was always saying to him? Relationships were supposed to be about take <em>and </em>give? He frowned; pretty sure he’d gotten those backwards. The saying was <em>give</em> first, right? She certainly <em>gave</em> to him a lot. He could give too couldn’t he? “No Bobby. You’re wrong. I’m gonna do everything in my power, including giving it to you, to make sure you feel like that as often as possible.” He assured her, hoping he was man enough to follow through on his vow.</p><p>                Poppy’s eyes flew open at his declaration as she sat up to face him, “do you really mean that? Uh…do you think you can actually…handle that?” she asked him openly. She knew who her boyfriend was, she was under no delusions what he was offering would be a feat for him.</p><p>                Tora shrugged one powerful shoulder, his face a mask of uncertainty, “Imma try my damnedest. Teddy Bear for you remember?”</p><p>                She launched herself at him, kissing him as she wrapped her arms around his neck.</p><p>~            ~             ~</p><p>                Two days later, Mylo was grinning stupidly to himself as he drove to Poppy’s apartment for the second time. When she had texted him the morning after ignoring him, she’d invited him over for tea at her place instead of going to a café and he had jumped at the opportunity. Being alone with her was so much better than being in a crowded café. He was excited to finally see the inside of her apartment. He had never expected her to be so forward. He was thrilled to know his feelings were so readily reciprocated. He couldn’t wait to finally touch her. Every time she was near she made him feel like his whole body was on fire. He hummed along happily to the song on the radio as he drove, keeping the beat on the steering wheel. He laughed, it had to be a sign, it was one of their songs! He’d have to ask her which one was her favourite off their CD. He sang along with the music, in the best mood he’d been in since leaving Moonbright.</p><p>                “I heard there was someone but I know he don’t deserve you, If you were mine, I’d never let anyone hurt you, no, no. I wanna dry those tears, kiss those lips. It’s all I’ve been thinking about. ‘Cause a light came on when I heard that song and I want you to sing it again!”</p><p>                Mylo bobbed to the music, grooving with it, “Could I be the one you talk about in all your stories? Can I be the one? Can I be the one? Can I be the one? Oh, can I, can I be him?” He grinned as the song continued without his harmony. He was almost there! His body was practically thrumming with anticipation. He couldn’t wait to see his little miss. He laughed, or should he say ‘soon to be Mrs?’ He patted his thigh, assuring the hundredth time that the ring was safely tucked away in his pocket. He’d buy her a real engagement ring as soon as they moved back to Moonbright. He knew she’d want to date for a while first, he knew how these things were supposed to work. Hell, she may even want to keep working for a while; he knew she had always been obsessed with her books. That would have to stop though once they got married. A good wife belonged in the home. He smiled, the thought reminding him fondly of his mother.</p><p>                Poppy would be a wonderful mother. They were still young but who cared? He was all set. Once his father retired he’d have no problem providing for a growing family. He smiled happily. He was so ready to start this chapter of his life. He pulled into her parking lot and put his truck in park. He proceeded to grab his phone out of his cup holder to let her know he’d arrived.</p><p>
  <em>Here  :)</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey guys thanks for being patient, sorry I made you wait so long. :P<br/>Thanks for all your well wishes, I had a great weekend!<br/>Enjoy! :)<br/>Sorry in advance for Mylo, the guy is old school to the nines. Definitely not a feminist....</p><p>Songs:<br/>Everything you want by Vertical Horizon (Mylo)<br/>Anxiety by The Black Eyed Peas (Tora)<br/>Thanks for the memories by Fall Out Boy (Poppy)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Poppy grinned down at her phone as she typed out a message for Mylo to come straight up to the apartment. “He’s here,” she cheerily informed Tora who was sitting on the bed, back to the window playing a game on silent, Poppy’s indie pop floating from her laptop speakers.</p><p> He rolled his eyes, saving his game before turning off the tv. He grabbed his guitar off the wall and leaned over to kiss her at the door as he slipped on his shoes. “Have a nice visit with your friend sweetheart, text me regularly and when he leaves so I know I can come back,” he told her, doing his best to keep the resentment out of his voice. This had been his fucking suggestion but he still didn’t like it.</p><p>“I will, thanks again for agreeing to this Tora. It means a lot to me,” Poppy assured him, wrapping her fists in the collar of his t-shirt to pull him down for another kiss. He smiled against her mouth, thoroughly enjoying her new found aggressiveness. His little hamster had become rather ferocious with him the last few days. He rather liked it. “Okay go,” she said, opening the door for him.</p><p>He laughed, “yeah, yeah, I’m going, I’m going, seriously though, don’t forget to text me or I will be dropping in to check on you,” he instructed before adding, “please.”</p><p>She smiled knowingly at him, filled with warmth by his effort over the last few days to adjust his speech. She loved him so much, it was the little things he did that made all the difference. She’d never been one for grand gestures, putting the toothpaste away, asking if she wanted anything if he was going to the kitchen, saying ‘please’. That’s what actually mattered to her. “I will, promise. I’ll even lock the door,” she offered with a wink.</p><p>Tora chuckled, “oh yeah? I’ll believe it when I see it,” he dropped a kiss on her forehead before turning away from her, she watched until he disappeared into the stairwell.</p><p>Seconds later, Mylo appeared in the hallway, waving at her. She grinned at him, “Hey Mylo!”she greeted him warmly, thinking he and Tora must have just missed each other.</p><p>Mylo was elated; his sweet little Poppylan was waiting in her doorway for him! Now that was hospitality. What a wonderful woman she was! “Hey beautiful,” he hugged her in greeting, she felt perfect in his arms, “how’s your day been?” He asked as he toed off his shoes comfortably, watching as she locked the door behind him. Perfect, just the two of them, the way it should be.</p><p>Poppy smiled, “oh pretty good, just been working a little, one of my client’s manuscripts is due for publication in a few weeks, but I’ve been pretty distracted lately by some stuff in my personal life so I really need to get motoring on it.” She explained pointing at the stack of red marked papers on her desk next to her laptop.</p><p>He nodded, poor Poppy, she must be so stressed; he’d lighten the load for her. Once they lived together he’d make sure she didn’t have to work anymore. Well, not real work anyways, he’d keep her plenty busy around the house. She wouldn’t have time for any serious editing work once she had his children. “I’m sorry to hear you’re so stressed out you have to work on a Saturday, it was nice of you to have me over this afternoon when you’re so under the gun. You’ve always been a superstar though, I’m sure you’ll get it done on time.” He assured her with a smile, following her into the kitchen, watching as she filled the kettle.</p><p>She turned to face him, leaning against the counter, “aw, you were always so sweet to me,” she laughed, “but really it’s no problem, I always have time for my friends. I couldn’t cancel on you again after turning you down for last weekend.” She replied, her smile firmly fixed on her lips, completely unaware of the monster standing three feet from her.</p><p>Mylo nodded at her words, this was good. Yes very good that she recognized putting him off was wrong. He grinned widely, she was putting him first, prioritizing him over her work, the way it should be. He wanted to hug her again, instead he said, “Oh no worries, everyone gets busy, I figured you probably had stuff going on when you missed the moon the other night. It was really beautiful. Reminded me of that night we all threw the blankets in the back of my truck and spent half the night in the cornfield.”</p><p>Poppy nodded at the memory, her, Julri, Mylo and few other friends had gone star gazing that night, the moon had been so bright they hadn’t needed any other light source. It wasn’t as positive a memory for her as it was for Mylo. Julri had told her to wear something pretty and she’d spent most of the night feeling self-conscious in her dress, wondering if she’d picked right. She certainly wasn’t self-conscious anymore, she blushed a little thinking about what Tora had been doing to her, er, what she had done <em>with</em> Tora, while Mylo had been looking at the moon the other day.</p><p>“Yes, that was a nice night, I’m sorry I missed it. I’m sure it was beautiful,” she replied warmly, her tone having nothing to do with the memory and everything to do with Tora and what he’d done for her self-confidence since she’d met him.</p><p>He grinned at her, “not as beautiful as you,” he teased, not missing a beat. Her blush was beautiful, he hoped she was remembering the way they’d shared a blanket that night, Julri pushing it off him saying he was hot. They’d been sitting so close, crowded by those around them that their thighs had touched.</p><p>She rolled her eyes, tsking at him, “oh you always were a flirt weren’t ya? It always shocked me you didn’t have a girlfriend when we were younger,” she said turning to reach for mugs. She huffed when she realized Tora had put away her favourite one up higher than she could reach. She pouted for half a second, missing the dark look that had passed over his face at her words. She glanced over her shoulder at Mylo, taking a step back. “Sorry, do you mind? I really like the purple one up there, I can’t reach.” She explained a little abashed.</p><p>Mylo nodded, “of course Poppy, it’d be my pleasure,” he said taking a step closer, reaching up, his hand wrapping around it before bringing it down to her, their fingers brushing momentarily as she accepted it from him. He was a little perplexed as to how she’d gotten it up there to begin with if she couldn’t reach. He frowned; her upper cupboard was filled entirely. Did she use a stool?</p><p>She opened another cupboard and pulled out a teabag for herself, “what do you like Mylo?” she asked, gesturing for him to come over and pick.</p><p>“You mean aside from you?” he joked, peering over her shoulder at his options, grinning when she snorted at his tired joke. He’d only been saying that to her for years. He was glad she was still amused by it. His brows drew together when he realized she didn’t have any of the teas he’d sent her. She couldn’t have possibly gone through them all already, he’d sent too many. Maybe she kept them at work? For the days when she didn’t stop in to see him at the shop? Yes. That must be it. He reached over her, plucking a bag from one of her various boxes before handing it to her, “this one’s fine, thanks.” He smiled when she brushed his hand again. Being with her had always been easy, comfortable.</p><p>Poppy poured the water and inserted their bags before turning to the fridge, pulling it open so she could grab some cheese and a vine of the grapes she’d picked up the other day. She remembered he’d always had an affinity for them growing up. Her movement drew Mylo’s gaze to the fridge; he eyed the photo on the side of it curiously. It was of her and a very large, dark, long haired man. She was smiling; he looked exasperated, almost like he had no desire to be in the photo, his arm around her shoulder, pulling her tight against him. Why in the world would she put something like that on display? He wasn’t even smiling. More importantly though, who was he? He didn’t seem like the sort she kept around. The man looked unscrupulous with all his tattoos and the spacers. He looked like a down right hoodlum. Why would she allow someone like that near her? He certainly didn’t appreciate the way the man was touching her. They were much too close for his liking. “Hey Mylo do you want to grab a plate too?” she asked him, her head still in the fridge.</p><p>He turned back to the cupboard, “yeah sure, no problem,” he muttered, reaching for one. He placed it on the counter next to their tea. He watched as she made a plate for them of grapes, crackers and cheese. She really was a thoughtful woman; she’d remembered his favourite snack. He was transfixed as she broke off a grape and popped it in her mouth. There was something sensual about the movement. He wanted desperately to be that grape until her face twisted in disgust.</p><p>Damn, she knew she should have tried one in the store, they were sour. That was a shame; they had looked so good on the outside. Oh well, she thought as she reached back into the fridge, withdrawing Tora’s package of strawberries, tossing the grapes into the garbage, replacing them with the red berries.</p><p>He frowned as he watched, he didn’t like strawberries, it didn’t matter how sweet they were on the inside, there something about their pitted surface was just distasteful to him. He’d eat them to be polite but the substitution upset him.</p><p>Poppy eyed his frown, “Sorry Mylo, I know they’re your favourite but they’re bad. These are excellent though, Tora and I had a few of them the other day,” she explained off handily.</p><p>Mylo’s brows drew together dangerously; too angry to appreciate his suspicion had been correct. Who the <em>fuck</em> was Tora? Was he the man in the photo? She was sharing strawberries with him? In her apartment? Oh no. No. No. No. No. No. Unacceptable. Having <em>him</em> over was one thing. Having another man alone with her in her apartment? Oh absolutely not. That was never happening again. Was that the person she’d been talking to the other day through her screen door? She’d said a few days ago, that had been a week ago. Did she have him over often? He followed her into the main room, collecting the plate when she asked, her hands already full with their tea. He tried to school his features as he glared at her back. How could she be entertaining other men? He had to be…a distant cousin? A long lost brother that had only reconnected recently?</p><p>Poppy grinned at him over the rim of her mug as they settled at her table, he looked upset. Poor guy, she knew how much he liked his grapes. He ate them with lunch almost every day when they’d been in high school. He must be so let down. “Sorry Mylo, I didn’t mean to disappoint you, I’ll make sure to actually try the grapes before I buy them next time so you’ll have some when we hangout again,” she offered with a smile, so used to placating Tora and Julri it came without thought as she sat there with Mylo.</p><p>He nodded, good, that was good, Mylo was so deep in his own thoughts he missed the back half of her statement, focusing only on the fact that she’d apologized for disappointing him. He would forgive her, she’d promise not to see that man again and then everything would be fine. “Thank you,” he replied, accepting her apology as he reached for a cracker.</p><p>Poppy’s phone beeped, she pulled it out and shook her head in amusement at Tora’s text.</p><p>
  <em>how’s the visit going, everything okay?</em>
</p><p>Mylo glared at her, checking her phone while she was with him was rude. He’d have to correct her later. She had said she was working this morning, he supposed he could forgive her for responding to a work inquiry. He took the opportunity to glance around the apartment, enjoying all her little knickknacks and plants.</p><p>She tapped out a message quickly about the grapes being bad and everything was fine before setting it face down on the table to the side of her tea. The silly man really was a worry wart. It’d only been twenty minutes, when he’d said to text him she’d thought he’d meant every hour or so. She rolled her eyes, noticing the way Mylo was eyeing the tv. Sheesh, boys and their toys. “You like it?” she asked, gesturing at Tora’s monstrosity, she still wasn’t sure why he’d had to buy one that took up the entire wall.</p><p> Mylo turned back to her, “little confused actually, I mean I know people change but you, uh, you were always a bookworm. You gave Julri and I a hard time once when we wasted an afternoon playing video games? I’m just a little surprised you own a tv that big and the…uh…games? Rather violent for you don’t you think?” he asked, referencing the titles he could read, the cases piled on the system, his tea in his hand.</p><p>Poppy nodded uncomfortably, <em>as if</em> she would ever buy something like that for herself. His hesitancy to offend her and call her out just made her want to cringe. She had given them a <em>very </em>hard time, lecturing them that they promote violence and would rot their brains. Julri had in turn given her a very hard time about embarrassing him in front of Mylo later that night on the phone. She felt strange about it now. She never said a word to Tora about her thoughts on his games. She didn’t care anymore, she didn’t like them, but if they relaxed him and made him happy were they really that bad? A hobby was a hobby wasn’t it? She was a little embarrassed for her teenage self. “Oh I forgot about that,” she lied, “my goodness, I’m sorry I was so pretentious to you guys about that, but they’re not mine; they’re Tora’s.” She reassured him with a polite smile.</p><p>Mylo grew very still, feeling a cold chill sink deep into his body, taking hold of his heart, draining the warmth inside it. That man again. <em>Tora. </em>Mylo was not a stupid man, he knew what that meant. The man had a tv at her house, and food in her fridge, her apartment was small and there was no other bed. This couldn’t be happening. She was <em>living</em> with another man? He glared at her. How could she do this to him? AGAIN! Oh Poppy was so <em>stupid</em> sometimes. So <em>fucking </em>stupid. Why did she keep messing up?  First an idiotic cheat that never deserved her and now this, this, this, <em>thug</em>? He thought viciously, sure Tora must be the man in the photo he’d seen. He blanched, they were sharing a bed. Had he <em>touched</em> her? Oh god no. That was a husband’s right. That was <em>his</em> right! How dare she give it away like some <em>trollop</em>? He slammed his tea down, gritting his teeth. “What the <em>fuck</em> Poppylan?” He roared at her.</p><p>Poppy lost her smile as she watched the anger play out on Mylo’s face. He was furious, she had no idea why. She shrunk away from him on her pillow, suddenly weary of her high school friend. She couldn’t remember ever seeing him angry before. He had always been the level headed one in Julri’s friend group, easy going, controlled, <em>safe</em>. When he spoke, the blood drained from her face. Tora said the same words to her often but they had never frightened her before; but the way Mylo said them? It was so <em>threatening</em>, she felt her heartbeat pick up as fear and panic took hold of her. His rage was tangible, as if his fury was a vicious animal that had come to rip her apart. She swallowed thickly, frozen, eyes wide in disbelief as he slammed his fist down against the table causing his tea to spill away from him and all over the floor.</p><p>~               ~                ~</p><p>Tora set his guitar aside and lit a cigarette, climbing to his feet. He really wasn’t a patient man. Fuck, he’d only made it twenty minutes before he’d texted her. He checked the clock on his phone, <em>and</em> it’d only been twenty minutes <em>since</em> he’d texted her. Christ, since when did time move so fucking slowly? He rolled his eyes at himself. It was obviously because of Bobby. The woman had him so wrapped around her little finger it was like time stopped mattering when he was with her. The minutes all felt so much longer in her absence. He sighed, rolling his neck and shoulders. He missed the gym, she’d come with him a few times when he’d been too busy to make it during the day but she was so damn distracting. He couldn’t focus when he could feel her eyes running all over his body. Fuck that woman made him crazy, all she had to do was look at him and he was putty in her hands.</p><p>He’d just have to give up on getting a good workout today. He could sure use one though. His anxiety was riding him hard today. He wandered over the ledge, taking a drag of his cigarette as he peered at the skyline on the other side of the water. He smiled, it was a nice view, she was right, ha! He shook his head in amusement, the woman was almost always right. The view up here was great, totally worth lugging her art shit around so she could paint up here. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, letting his head cant down under it’s own weight. Letting the stress of the last week take hold of him momentarily, his face falling into a mask of worry and frustration, it was exhausting trying to appear unconcerned around her all the time.</p><p>He didn’t have a choice though; he felt he had to be calm and strong and in control around her. He knew she was frightened; it would just scare her more if she knew how alarmed he was. The notes had gotten more and more delusional and threatening as the days had passed. His last gift had been a fucking key with a note about how it was one of two that fit in the lock to the place he would keep her forever. Poppy was convinced the motherfucker was talking about a house based on the rest of the poem but all Tora could picture was her, terrified, being held against her will in a fucking cage. He shook off the unwelcome visual.</p><p>If he didn’t find this guy soon he was sure he was going to lose his mind. Trying to balance his own desire to confine her away for her own safety <em>and </em>make her happy made him sick to his stomach. What the fuck was he supposed to do? With every note she received, he wanted to strip her of more of her rights, to keep her safe, fuck he wanted to just glue her to his side so he could watch over her every minute of every day. He wanted to puke, realizing he may have a thing or two in common with her stalker and his desire to control her. Yet he couldn’t help it. He felt like he held his breath all damn day when she was at work, overwhelmed with terrifying daydreams of her being abducted from her office building. He must check her damn GPS a hundred times a day just to reassure himself she was still in the building. Hell, once she’d disregarded his instructions and gone down the street with Erdene and Jacob to a street vendor for lunch and he’d race over just to discover that she was fine, enjoying her lunch and laughing happily with her friends as she ate in the sunshine.</p><p>He hadn’t approached her or said anything, just gotten back in his car and driven away. He’d felt horrid for being momentarily furious at her. He was a mess. She deserved lunch in the sun, surrounded by her friends, enjoying food from wherever the fuck she wanted. He doubted that she followed his instructions about the bathroom either. He sighed. He knew she probably thought he was ridiculous but he attacked lots of people when they were in the bathroom. They were vulnerable there, no cameras, already caged in a stall with nowhere to go, that stupid look of disbelief on their face, they were always so fucking shocked. Like he should give a fuck about their privacy and let them finish. Ridiculous. How the fuck was he supposed to tell her that though? He could just see it now, ‘you know sweetheart, I’m not full of shit, I murder people for a living, having other people present in a washroom has deterred me a few times to find another opening, taking Erdene with you might just save your life.’ Yeah fucking right, like she’d ever look at him the same after that. She was such a smart woman; she must have an inkling that he knew what he was talking about didn’t she? If anything ever happened to her he’d never forgive himself.</p><p>He shook off his thoughts and opened his eyes, taking in the world below him. They widened in recognition and then narrowed dangerously. Rage filled him like a bolt of lightning crackling through a tall tree. That motherfucking truck was in their fucking parking lot. He was in the stairwell three seconds later, taking them two at a time. It was him, he was sure of it. He was ending this. Today.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I apologize in advance. Bahahaha I have an awful imagination. Anyways, enjoy my twisted tale, can't wait to read your reactions. :P</p><p>Songs:<br/>I alone By Throwing Copper (Mylo)      <br/>I Fucked Up by Convolk  (Tora)   <br/>Nightmare by Halsey (Poppy)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    Mylo glared at her, consumed by his fury, “How dare you! And after everything I’ve done! You little slut. Doesn’t fucking take much does it?” He seethed. This was wrong, this was all so wrong. How could she do this? How could she <em>do</em> this! She belonged to <em>him</em>.</p><p>                Poppy fell back onto her palms, sliding back away from the table with wide disbelieving eyes, she didn’t understand his behaviour, this was not the man she knew.  “Please Mylo, I don’t know what you’re talking about, I don’t know what I did to upset you but I’m sorry, please, please calm down,” she pleaded, all her instincts screaming at her that she was in danger.</p><p>                He stood and rounded the table, staring down at her, fists balled at his sides, her little pleas dowsing his rage only marginally. He could fix this. He had forgiven her the last time; he could forgive her again couldn’t he? She was just lost and confused without him, making silly stupid decisions. Yes. She just needed guidance, a firm hand to show her the way. He would help her; make her see the error of her ways. He fisted his hand in her hair, yanking her head back painfully. “Tell me you’re sorry and you’ll never see him again, that he means nothing to you.” He ordered.</p><p>                Poppy’s eyes were impossibly wide in response to his command. Her stomach fell; she had no idea he had had real feelings for her. She had thought all this time he was just teasing her. She had no doubt now that talking about Tora had set him off. Mylo was obviously deeply unhinged. Her stomach dropped as another thought struck her. Just like Mr. Creepypants. She thought momentarily about punching him, clawing at him. Logic won out. She would placate him, tell him exactly what he wanted to hear, after all, playing along was her speciality; and Tora would come when she didn’t respond to his texts. There was no sense in potentially getting injured if she could wait this out. She was terrified, but she wasn’t stupid. She answered him with all the sincerity she could muster, “I am so sorry Mylo, he means nothing to me, I promise I will never see him again.” She lied.</p><p>                “Where is he now?” He demanded, grabbing her jaw with his other hand, holding her still.</p><p>                Poppy did everything she could to keep the panic out of her voice, “out, with one of his friends,” she lied as he stared into her eyes. She met his gaze head on, refusing to cower from him.</p><p>                “When will he be back?” he barked at her, needing to know if they needed to rush. He was taking her back to Moonbright today; away from her fucking roommate. </p><p>                Poppy was smart enough to piece his intentions together. She glanced at her phone on the table. She doubted Mylo would allow her to take it with her if he took them to another location. She had to relax him. Convince him to stay here. To give Tora time to worry and come check on her. “Late. I told him to go away so I could be alone with you,” she informed him, trying to stroke his ego, the half-truth feeling like a knife to the gut. She would give anything to turn back time and have Tora present when Mylo arrived. Who cared if he was intimidating? She loved him, if her friends weren’t able to accept him then screw them. She wanted to cry.</p><p>                Mylo nodded, his grip relaxing on her hair, he kneeled down beside her, shoving his free hand in his pocket, “this is not how I wanted to give this to you but you’ve given me no choice.” He muttered, slamming the ring box and his note on the table in front of her. “Open it.” He ordered angrily.</p><p>                She reached for it slowly, keeping him in her peripherals in case he showed any more signs of violence. She read the note first, her eyes filling with dread and tears, her suspicion confirmed. She didn’t have to wonder anymore. The fact it was a friend was exponentially worse than it being a stranger. Her stomach rolled violently at the betrayal.</p><p>
  <em>Dearest Poppylan,</em>
</p><p>She fought the bile as it rose in her throat, choking it back down.</p><p>
  <em>I promise, from this day forward, you shall not walk alone, </em>
</p><p>Oh god, all she had ever wanted was for him to leave her the hell alone. This was a nightmare. Her heart raced, petrified tears rolling over her cheeks.</p><p>
  <em>may my heart be your shelter, and my arms be your home. </em>
</p><p>Every inch of her being recoiled at the revolting thought, Tora was her shelter, her family, her home; and she was his. Mylo didn’t have any role to play in her life. She was filled with fury. How dare he do this to her? He was supposed to be a friend, a <em>trusted</em> friend. Fury gave way to self-disgust. Her judgement had failed her again. This was her fault. She’d sent Tora away and invited in a monster. She wanted to kick herself.</p><p>
  <em>Eternally Devoted to you,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mylo</em>
</p><p>Poppy swallowed thickly and opened the box, her heart halted for a second before her brain could remind her to blink and breathe. It was a ring, a simple, plain, silver wedding band. She tilt her head back as much as she could with Mylo’s hand still in her hair, taking a shaky breath, trying desperately to keep control of herself. She needed to play along. She closed her eyes for a moment, the tears falling freely now, and pasted on the brightest smile she could muster under the circumstances, years of faking happiness around Julri finally coming in handy. “It’s beautiful Mylo. Thank you. I’m sorry, I had no idea you cared for me so much.” She whispered softly, hoping to make herself appear as non-threatening as possible, hoping she was saying the right things.</p><p>Mylo smirked at her; he knew she’d love it. Look at her face, women and their happy tears; of course she wanted this as much as he did. “You’re welcome, put it on,” he told her firmly; still a little irked with her. She nodded, slowly, pulling the ring out of the box before moving to put it on her left hand, the action feeling like a revolting betrayal to her heart. She wanted to fling the thing off her balcony. It was too small; she rammed it on her finger, forcing it on despite the snug fit. The ring immediately began cutting off her circulation, biting into her flesh painfully. She hated it with every fiber of her being. Mylo was smiling now, “you see, I knew it would be perfect.” He finally let go of her hair, seemingly appeased for the moment.</p><p>Poppy fought to keep her breathing even; between the ring and Mylo it was taking everything in her not to have a panic attack. This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t believe she’d done this to herself. She felt like a fool. She needed to get the hell away from him, even if only by a few feet. She eyed the spilt tea. “Mylo,” she ventured carefully, keeping her voice as soft and quiet as she could, “may I please clean up the mess I caused? I need to make you a new one. I’m so sorry.” she pleaded, <em>please say yes, please say yes, please say yes, </em>she thought in a panic.</p><p>Mylo grinned at her, pleased by her apparent desire to accommodate him. He knew he was right about her. She was going to make an excellent wife. “Of course you can sweetheart,” he told her affectionately.</p><p>Poppy turned away from him so he wouldn’t see her tear up at his pet name, when Tora said it, it made her feel warm, cared for, loved. Rolling off of Mylo’s tongue, it was just condescending, she wanted to scream at him to never say it again, that he had no right to ruin something that was so beautiful and meaningful to her by tainting it with his demeaning tone! Instead she padded over to the kitchen, grabbing a dish cloth hanging off the stove, taking a moment to breathe deeply trying to calm herself before she returned to him, dropping to her knees to wipe up the spilt tea wordlessly. She glanced at her phone, she wanted to call Tora, or send him an SOS text or, well, something. She needed to find a way to let him know she needed him. She glanced at Mylo under her lashes, no. Too dangerous. He was watching her too closely. For the first time, Poppy was glad for Tora’s overbearingness. He would come to check on her when she didn’t respond to his next text. She was sure of it.</p><p>He watched her raptly as she finished and collected his mug, smiling back at her slightly when she beamed at him before disappearing back into the kitchen. He heard the water rushing from the faucet and then the click of the kettle being turned on. When she didn’t return immediately he got up to be with her.</p><p>Poppy wrung her hands together, looking around the kitchen desperately for a weapon, anything. She couldn’t do this; she couldn’t play along much longer. Every second the ring was on her finger she felt like she was dying. Her finger was starting to change colour under the pressure. She swallowed thickly, settling on the large kitchen knife she’d brandished at Tora unintentionally the night of their first fight. She grabbed it, the weight of it in her hand suddenly feeling profound.</p><p>“What are you doing?” Mylo’s voice came from behind her back, laced with suspicion. </p><p>She spun to face him, pasting on the most innocent look she could, “you didn’t seem to like the berries so I thought I’d cut up some more cheese? ‘Cause I made you spill tea on the plate. I thought you might still be hungry and I don’t want you to have to eat anything soggy.” She lied outstandingly, a smile firmly fixed on her face. Who was she kidding? She couldn’t stab anyone. The thought revolted her almost as much as Mylo. She set the knife down gently on the counter when he didn’t move and brushed past him, trying her best to stay calm before reaching into the fridge to collect the brick of cheddar. She bit her tongue to keep from screaming when she felt his hands on her hips, pulling her against him.</p><p>Mylo smiled, pleased by her explanation. He grabbed her, pulling her against him, finally holding her the way he’d wanted to for so long. His arms wrapped around her waist as he buried his face in the hair at her neck, squeezing her tightly.</p><p>Poppy held herself ridged in his embrace, both hands on the brick of cheese, praying he wouldn’t try to push the physical display of affection past this forced hug. If he tried to touch her, she would fight him. She wouldn’t be able to go along with or fake that. He’d have to kill her first. Where the hell was Tora? Why wasn’t he coming to check on her? She glanced at the clock over the stove. It had been just over twenty minutes since his last text.</p><p>They both jumped when they heard a heavy thud against the front door, Mylo’s hand leaving her waist momentarily in order to grab the knife she’d left on the counter.</p><p>~               ~               ~</p><p>                Tora stopped abruptly at the base of the stairs, his training taking over. One did not just run out into the open unless they knew what they were dealing with. His gaze narrowed as he realized the truck was empty, it was facing the building and he could see through the windshield that there was no one inside. He pushed the door open slowly, circling the apartment building cautiously, noticing Mrs. Haru on her balcony. He glanced between her and the truck, she had a perfect view. “Uh, mam’ can I ask ya a question?” he inquired.</p><p>                Mrs. Haru smiled warmly at him despite how nervous his appearance made her. If Ms. Wilkes was dating him, he must not be as bad a seed as he appeared. “Of course, what can I do for you?” she replied.</p><p>                Tora glanced around, eyes peeled for anything, “did ya happen to see who was driving that truck?” he asked, shoving his thumb over his shoulder towards the Tundra.</p><p>                Mrs. Haru nodded, “yes, a visitor, a young man with glasses and sandy blonde hair,” she offered, to the vacant spot Tora had been occupying a second ago. Mrs. Haru huffed in annoyance. The man may not be as rough as he appeared but he was certainly as <em>rude</em> as he looked.   </p><p>Tora ran the stairs, cursing himself and his own stupidity. He didn’t believe in fucking coincidences, he knew it was odd she had ‘run into him’ so many fucking times at the coffee shop. Of course he’d found her address off Instagram, the fucker was on her fucking friends list. Of course he hadn’t found the fucking truck, he’d bet any fucking money it was registered in Moonbright and not Narin City, Moonbright was the only fucking thing the guy talked to her about. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK! He couldn’t believe he’d invited in the one man that actually made him uneasy. He’d just fucking handed Poppy over to him, in an empty apartment to do only god knew what to her. He didn’t fuck up like this. He never fucked up like this. He’d been fucking people up for over a decade and he’d <em>never</em> fucked up like this. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Oh god he’d fucked up. How could this be happening? How could he have failed her so spectacularly? His heart was aching from more than just the physical strain he was putting his body under as he rushed up the final flight of stairs. If she was hurt he was never going to forgive himself. Some protection he was.</p><p>He hit the door hard, his hand on the knob. Oh for the love of- Of all the fucking times for her to actually lock the fucking door! He dug in his pocket for his key, entertaining for a split second the idea of just kicking the door in, but no he couldn’t do that; if he kicked in the door that would invite questions. Mylo was going to disappear today; Mrs. Haru had seen him, he couldn’t have any signs of a struggle left where people would see. The minute the deadbolt slid out of place he pushed the door open softly, taking the time to close and lock it behind him. Poppy had better fucking be fine.</p><p>He moved into the main room, locking eyes with her immediately. Mylo was draped around her; an arm braced around her waist, holding her to him, his chin on her shoulder, pressed cheek to cheek with her, one of their cooking knives at her throat. He froze, his heart pounding, schooling his features into an unreadable mask as he met her terrified tear filled gaze, her fingers turning white around a brick of cheese, a small whimper escaping her.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I love that so many of you picked up on the meaning behind the ring :) Hahaha getting emails with "ahhhhh" as the only thing written had me laughing so hard people were giving me weird looks. :P You guys legit make my day. Anyways, enjoy.</p><p>Songs:<br/>Creep by Radiohead (Mylo)<br/>Him &amp; I by G-easy and Halsey (Tora &amp; Poppy)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                Mylo was beyond angry, Poppy was a lying bitch, “thought you said he wasn’t coming back until late?” he snarled in her ear, squeezing her tighter. He was furious with her but he still wanted her, which just enraged him further. She was his whole world. He had built his life around her back in Moonbright. He had bought them a fucking house. She was <em>his </em>damn it. This asshole could go fuck himself. He couldn’t have her.</p><p>                “I wasn’t, came home early,” Tora growled, trying his best to keep his cool, playing along with whatever lie she had told this psycho. He needed to get Mylo to focus on him, not Poppy.  He needed to get that knife the fuck away from her. Her head was tilted back on his shoulder, doing her best to put some space between the blade and her skin. She was gazing at him fearfully. It was ripping his heart out. How could he have let this happen?</p><p>                Mylo eyed Tora, the man was massive, easily half a head taller than him and powerfully built. He wasn’t an idiot; he knew he’d lose if they got into a physical altercation. Poppy was the only thing stilling this beast. Well the man was shit out of luck. Poppy didn’t belong to him. He would never let Tora have her. If he couldn’t have her, no one would. He listened to the deep voice skeptically, somehow he doubted that. “Back up,” he barked when Tora took a step towards them.</p><p>                Tora did as he was told, taking a small step back, retreating only half the space he had gained. Poppy dropped the cheese, both hands flying up to grip Mylo’s forearms holding him in place, willing the distance to remain between her and the knife, “Mylo, Mylo please, please don’t do this, you’re scaring me,” Poppy begged.</p><p>                Her pleading fell on deaf ears, “tell him Poppylan, tell him what you told me,” Mylo snarled. Poppy’s tears intensified at his words, she couldn’t, she just couldn’t; Mylo shook her roughly, “now Poppylan.” He ordered viciously.</p><p>                Poppy felt like she was suffocating, she looked at Tora pleadingly, begging him silently to forgive the words about to spill from her mouth, “Tora,” she gasped, her voice breaking on a sob.</p><p>                He stared back at her, his face unreadable, “it’s okay sweetheart, tell me whatever ya gotta say. It’s okay, everything is gonna be okay,” he told her as confidently as he could as his gut wrenched with worry.</p><p>                Mylo shook her again, bringing the blade closer, closing the little distance she’d managed to keep between her and the knife. “Y-you mean n-nothing t-to m-me,” she sputtered, “I-I n-never w-want to see y-you a-again,” she blubbered, hopeful but not completely confident he would know she didn’t mean a word of it.</p><p>                Tora clenched his fists, doing his best to let her words roll off him, he knew she didn’t mean that, knew she’d told Mylo that to assuage him, to keep herself safe. She might feel that way by the time this was over but he knew she loved him right now, she was just scared. Fuck, <em>he</em> was scared. It was his turn to play along. He needed to get Mylo’s attention, get him mad; people fucked up when they were angry. “You’re gonna leave me for this fucktwat?” he thundered, “the fucker doesn’t even have any fucking balls, hiding behind you like a little pussy.” He spat, meeting Mylo’s gaze for the first time. His eyes were gleaming with insanity. Tora would give anything in that moment to trade places with Poppy. She didn’t deserve this. She was gonna be so fucked up when this was over, and that would be his fault too.</p><p>                Poppy cringed at his words and his volume, he was livid, he wasn’t looking at her anymore. She didn’t comprehend what he hoped to accomplish by insulting Mylo; but she understood a moment later when Mylo swung the knife away from her and brandished it in Tora’s direction as he screamed, “I’m a gentleman, you’re a lowlife. What the fuck would you know?” When Tora took another step closer in response, Mylo whipped the knife back towards Poppy. “Ah, ah, tough guy. Come any closer and I’ll kill her. If I don’t get to have her, you don’t either.” He warned.</p><p>                Poppy felt cold, the blood draining from her face at his words. This couldn’t be happening, there was no way this was real. She was having a nightmare. She was going to wake up soon in Tora’s arms, safe in bed. The knife bit into her skin, a bead of blood pooling and then running down the length of the blade. A terrified whine escaped from between her lips.</p><p>                Tora’s heart clenched painfully, he was gonna gut this fucker and drain him dry for making her bleed. Every drop of his blood for <em>one</em> of hers. His carefully crafted mask of fury gave way to one of indifference. “Why the fuck should I care, the bitch don’t give a shit about me. You heard her,” he replied, desperate to convince Mylo he was in control until he could get his hands on him. He needed to the knife out at him again. One more step closer and he’d be within reaching distance.</p><p>                 Mylo’s face was twisted into something ugly and vicious, the patient, sweet man Poppy thought she knew only a distant memory. “That’s right, she’s mine. Tell him Poppy. Show him!” he demanded furiously.</p><p>                Poppy gasped, sucking in air hard, trying desperately to keep her panic in check, she uttered the words she knew he wanted to hear, “I-I b-belong to Mylo.” She sucked in another shaky breath, “we’re getting married,” she whispered, not quite able to keep the horror out of her voice as she raised her left hand for Tora to see.</p><p>                Tora wanted to throw up. How many times had <em>he</em> thought of Poppy his? He kept his expression cold, doing his best to conceal his real feelings as he glared at the ring currently choking the life out of her finger; it looked swollen and painful under the confinement of the metal. He needed to get that thing the fuck off her before it did any permanent damage, “that’s an ugly fucking ring,” he spat, hoping to get under Mylo’s skin. Blessedly, it worked.</p><p>                Mylo was furious, how dare this piece of human trash insult his token of undying love, he whipped the knife at him again, Poppy’s head moving away from him with her knew found freedom,  “HOW DARE YOU!” he roared, realizing his mistake too late to do anything about it.</p><p>                The minute the knife was away from her again Poppy jumped at the opportunity knowing she needed to do something to help the situation. She brought her left heel down hard on his foot, slamming the back of her skull against his face as her right forearm came up to block the swing of his knife, connecting for a fraction of a second with his own forearm before she was suddenly free of his embrace, the knife sliding across the room on the floor.</p><p>                Tora saw his opening and took it, stepping forward, he caught Mylo’s fist with one hand as Poppy’s head snapped back before his other hand grabbed her left arm, yanking her away from her attacker, throwing her behind him forcefully. He heard her hit the ground hard as he tore the knife from Mylo’s grasp, flinging it away from all three of them. He didn’t waste a second, the hand that had grabbed Poppy closing into a fist mid-air as he swung his arm, his knuckles connecting with Mylo’s temple before the smaller man crumpled at his feet. Satisfied the man was out cold he turned to look at Poppy.</p><p>                She was on the ground, pushing her upper body up off the floor, she’d landed on her side. He was on her in an instant, pulling her in for a hug, squeezing her tightly, cradling her, trying to calm his racing heartbeat, he’d been so fucking scared. He pulled back, cupping her face with both hands, staring into her eyes, “are you alright? Did he hurt you anywhere else?” he asked softly, his eyes dipping to the small shallow cut on her throat. She shook her head ‘no’, fresh tears welling in her eyes. He kissed her, all his desperation and worry seeping into his kiss. She clutched his wrists, kissing him back just as frantically as tears rolled over her face. Finally, he pulled away, pressing his forehead to hers, his eyes closed. “Fuck Poppy. I’m so, so sorry sweetheart.” He whispered.</p><p>                Poppy swallowed thickly, her own hands coming up cup his jaw, “You mean <em>everything</em> to me Tora, I didn’t mean a word I said,” she swore vehemently, silent tears still trailing over her cheeks.</p><p>                He pulled away from her, releasing her face in favour of taking hold of her upper arms, “I know Bobby, I know it was just lip service for him. Don’t apologize sweetheart. Listen, he won’t be out forever, I didn’t hit him hard enough for that, I need to tie him up,” he took hold of her left hand, “get this shit off before your finger swells anymore.” He instructed. She nodded as he pulled her to her feet.</p><p>                 Poppy went to the bathroom, running the tap on cold, soaking her finger, trying to get the swelling down. She pumped the soap, swathing the ring in it before she began twisting and tugging, frantically trying to get it off. It didn’t budge, she pulled harder as she began to panic, the events of the last hour hitting her hard. The ring moved a fraction of an inch up her finger. She let out a small cry of relief, working it harder, twisting it, working the soap under it. Finally, blessedly, it slipped off. Her finger screamed in agony as her circulation resumed. She flung the ring into the toilet before sagging against the vanity, falling onto her bottom, sobbing, clutching her hand to her chest as she took in the green discolouration and the indentation it had left behind on her flesh.</p><p>                Tora could hear her crying in the bathroom as he slung Mylo’s body onto their dining table, having moved the wet plate to her dresser. He made his way over to his chest of drawers in her closet, pulling out the bottom drawer, setting it to the side as he popped open the false bottom and shoved aside most of his tools only pulling out what he needed, setting them on the floor beside him before reaching for his rope. He cut it into four sections with his switch blade then made his way back over to Mylo, securing each of his ankles to a leg of the table before forcing his arms to bend at a ninety degree angle so his biceps were flat to the table as he tied his wrists to the other two legs. Lastly, he forced his jaw open, stuffing his mouth with a dirty dish rag he found in the kitchen when he returned the cheese to its place in the fridge, before fastening a leather strap between his teeth and around the back of his head. Satisfied Mylo wasn’t going anywhere or at risk of alerting anyone to his situation, Tora went to go check on Poppy.</p><p>                Tora crouched, hooking a crooked finger under her chin, tilting her face to look at him, “Poppy, sweetheart, please don’t cry, I’m so sorry I let this happen, that I wasn’t here, please forgive me, I thought I was doing the right thing,” he apologized weakly.</p><p>                Poppy sniffled, staring up at him, gaining control of herself again, “No Tora, this is my fault, I’m a terrible judge of character, how could I not have known? I thought he was my friend! I thought he was kind and patient and, and I didn’t know him at all!” she cried, “he was going to kill me Tora!” she shouted, her eyes wide with disbelief.</p><p>                He pressed his lips together, his hand falling away from her, not trusting himself to say the right thing, one brow arched at her, she blamed herself? Why? How? She had moved him in to protect her; he was the one that had failed. He didn’t like her self-deprecation; it had taken her a long time to trust in herself after all the bullying she’d been though, he wasn’t going to allow her to go backwards. He opened his mouth, finally deciding what to say, “the guy is a nut job Poppy, that’s not on you. You told me you’ve known him for years and he obviously never gave you an indication something was off. People are good actors. Hell, I only show people what I want them to see all the time. Do not beat yourself up over this sweetheart. This one is on me, I’m the paranoid one always thinking everyone’s gonna be deceitful or out to get me. Your trust in others is refreshing, it makes me worry sometimes but I don’t want you to change. Hell Poppy, if you weren’t the way you are, you probably never would have given me your time, let alone your love. Please sweetheart, don’t punish yourself for this. Like I said, this one is on me.” He reassured her. </p><p>                Poppy stared into his eyes, only finding sincerity there, “but you trusted in me and I let you down, I thought he was safe. I know you left me alone with him to make me happy but I don’t care what my friends think of you anymore, it was stupid of me. I love you even if you are intimidating. If you frighten them that’s their problem, not mine. I never should have asked you to leave. I’m so sorry Tora, this is my fault not yours. I haven’t exactly been doing everything you tell me to, to stay safe.” She explained, brushing away her tears.</p><p>                He raised both brows at her, a little surprised she was admitting what he already knew, “Poppy, you didn’t let me down, I don’t own you, and I’m sorry, I’ve been treating you like you belong to me, like you screamed at me the other day sweetheart, you’re not my property. I just didn’t realize how fucked up that feeling was until I heard you say you belonged to him. You can do whatever you want; you <em>should</em> do whatever the fuck you want. When I tell you what to do please just take it as a suggestion, I do know what I’m talking about when it comes to your safety but ultimately, everything you do should be your choice. I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to realize it. I want to love you Poppy, not control or possess you like that creep.”</p><p>                She smiled weakly at him, he never ceased to change and grow and amaze her, “I love you,” she vowed.</p><p>He smirked at her, still on his haunches, "same," he promised. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for all the love and commentary guys! ♥  </p><p>Songs: <br/>Beg for Mercy – Gunit (Tora)  <br/>In Love With a Monster – Fifth Harmony (Poppy)  <br/>Never Stop – Safetysuit</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                Tora glanced at Poppy as she sat on their bed with her arms wrapped around her knees as she stared at Mylo. He sighed; she was being obstinate again, already testing him to see if he’d meant his little speech in the bathroom. He’d told her to go up to the roof; grab his guitar and call Quincey to come get her so he could take care of Mylo. She wasn’t having any of it. Telling him she was staying and he could do whatever he felt he needed to do in front of her. He placed his hands on his hips, glaring at her over Mylo’s still form. “Poppy, for the fourth fucking time, I don’t want you to watching this,” he argued.</p><p>                Poppy shrugged, “what are you planning on doing with him that I can’t watch Tora?” she asked with false innocence. She knew he was planning on hurting him, maybe even killing him but she wouldn’t allow it. She doubted he would do anything too awful if she was in the room. Mylo needed to be institutionalized and locked up, not murdered.</p><p>                Tora was nearing exasperation, “Poppy stop playing dumb, I don’t want you to look at me different after this, would you please just leave?” he begged.</p><p>                She frowned at him, “are you really gonna kill him right here in our home? I don’t think I can live with that Tora. One, I don’t want him to come back and haunt us” she explained holding up a finger, “and two I can’t condone that kind of violence in our home,” she explained calmly ticking off another finger.</p><p>                Mylo kept his eyes closed and breathing as even as possible, listening to their conversation, hoping they wouldn’t notice he’d regained consciousness minutes ago. The side of his face was screaming in agony. He wanted to kill both of them but he was smart enough to play dead until he knew what they planned to do with him.    </p><p>                Tora crossed his arms and stared at the ceiling, willing patience, “Oh for the love of –  Christ, Poppy, he put a fucking knife to your throat! He made you fucking <em>bleed</em>! Of course I’m going to kill him! Fuckers like this just keep coming back if you don’t, and for the record, no I’m not going to do anything here. I’m gonna take him elsewhere to do that. I don’t want that kind of shit happening in our home either,” he explained impatiently. He was just going to dislocate and break every single one of his limbs first so he’d be in agony and easier to handle while conscious later, but she didn’t need to know that.</p><p>                Poppy arched a brow, ignorant of how fast Mylo’s heart was beating after hearing Tora’s speech, “what if I don’t want you to kill him?” she countered.</p><p>                His glare intensified, “No Poppy. I’m sorry but <em>no</em>. He isn’t fucking flowers, he’s a fucking threat and I’m not allowing him a second chance at kidnapping or killing you. There’s not much I wouldn’t do for you sweetheart but sparing this guy is one of them,” he told her, an edge of finality in his tone.</p><p>                “He needs help Tora, he needs to be hospitalized, he’s just sick,” she pleaded, trying desperately to ignore the fact Tora had finally openly admitted to being a killer.</p><p>                “No, he needs to be fuckin’ six feet under,” Tora snapped, annoyed, he knew she’d be like this. Her and her fucking mother Theresa complex. He had fucking called this. He <em>knew</em> she was going to give him a hard time about this. She was so fucking good all the time, always wanting to do the <em>right</em> thing. Couldn’t she just let him do his <em>thing</em>?</p><p>                Poppy shook her head, tears coming to her eyes, “Please Tora, don’t. Don’t do that. Please can we find a way to compromise on this?” she pleaded.</p><p>                Tora frowned at her, “this isn’t a discussion Poppy. I’m doing this, whether you forgive me or not. Now, for the last time, please go upstairs and call Quincey. I’ll come get you later, when I’m done,” he growled, quickly approaching the end of his patience with her.</p><p>                She searched his eyes for a long moment, when she didn’t find what she was hoping for, she stood, accepting she wasn’t going to change his mind before walking over to him, placing a hand on his cheek, encouraging him to tilt his face down to her, “If you won’t consider what I’ve said, at the very least make it quick Tora. Please don’t torture him, I don’t want any of this and the idea of you doing it <em>for</em> me makes we want to throw up,” she explained, kissing him briefly before moving to do as he’d said.</p><p>                Mylo panicked, opening his eyes, beginning to struggle against his bonds the minute he heard the door click closed behind her.</p><p>~                  ~             ~</p><p>                Tora flipped the hunting knife absentmindedly in his hand as he looked on dispassionately, the rest of his tools on the small metal rolling cart beside him.  Mylo was whimpering, dangling from rope cuffs on the meat hook Tora had hung him from. He hadn’t broken his bones like he’d wanted to, just punched him again to knock him out. Poppy’s words stilling his hand. They were eating at him now, thus his indecision, the knife flipping in his hand as he debated whether or not to gut him as he’d intended.</p><p>He stared at the blade, utterly torn. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t do as she wanted. He loved Poppy’s optimism and trust in the system but life didn’t work that way. If he dropped Mylo off at an institution he’d squeal like a pig and Tora would find himself in a world of shit. Or, worse, Mylo would just turn on his charm, get released and come back to terrorize Poppy and then he’d have to hunt him down and he’d just find himself back here, in this meat locker, with Mylo hanging exactly where he currently was. He loved Poppy desperately, and he wanted to please her but the woman lived in a fairytale world where people changed and could be redeemed. Tora was under no such delusions. He had spent most of his life rubbing shoulders with the filth that lurked in the shadows, and he fucking knew better. Poppy might never forgive him but she was also never going to know what happened here tonight either. His brows narrowed at that thought; he could at least try to honor <em>one</em> of her requests couldn’t he? </p><p>                “Okay,” he said more to himself than his pending victim, having finally come to a decision, “I’m gonna give you a choice Mylo so listen close. Option one: I’ll be merciful, slit your throat and let you bleed out. I’m not gonna shoot ya like Poppy would want, a bullet is too good for you. You <em>will</em> bleed before this is over. Ya cut her and I’m not forgivin’ that shit.” He paused, giving Mylo a minute to let his words sink in, Tora’s eyes cold and empty.</p><p>                “Or, option two: I let you live, on a few conditions. I can’t have you telling anyone about me so I’ll be cutting out your tongue.” The tongue wasn’t enough though, people were clever, there was a whole world of ways to communicate, and he couldn’t allow him the opportunity to come back or pose any kind of threat to Poppy ever again. He needed to make him helpless, so that he would understand how he had made Poppy feel.  He continued, “I’ll also be paralyzing ya from the neck down. Finally, ya touched Poppy so I’ll be taking your hands in addition to your tongue, ‘cause frankly, even though I’m working on it, I’m petty and jealous and ya pissed me off. I can’t take knowing you had your hands all over <em>my</em> girl without some kind of payback. You’ll still be alive after all that, so I suppose there’s that.” He explained calmly, his eyes still reflecting zero emotion.</p><p>                Mylo glared at him, what the fuck kind of options were those? Tora’s eyes reminded him of a shark, completely devoid of feeling, just a predator waiting to attack, as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him. Mylo wanted to flee realizing his executioner was a different kind of monster from himself, one he had never encountered before. He flailed, reminding Tora of a fish before it was gutted.</p><p>                Tora blinked at him indifferently, masking his fury, flipping the knife again, he really wasn’t a patient man, “I’m gonna need a decision in the next ten seconds or I’m gonna make it for ya. ‘kay?” The longer Mylo flailed and twisted and wriggled, the more enraged Tora became. This motherfucker had laid hands on Poppy, had <em>cut</em> her, had forced a ring on her finger that had <em>hurt</em> her. This motherfucker had <em>terrorized</em> her, not to mention all the fucking fighting he’d caused between the two of them. He ticked off the seconds in his head.</p><ol>
<li>The flowers, the fight</li>
<li>The CD, all those fucking lyrics, <em>taunting</em> him</li>
<li>Anxiety; Mylo writing about <em>tasting</em> her</li>
<li>All that wasted time on the truck</li>
<li>All her fear</li>
<li>All their fights</li>
<li>All her tears</li>
<li>The key, thinking about this fucker <em>caging</em> her</li>
<li>Mylo with a knife to her throat, Poppy <em>bleeding</em>
</li>
<li>That fucking <em>ring</em>, choking the life out of her finger</li>
</ol><p> </p><p>Something clicked inside him. That was it, the excuse he needed, he wasn’t doing this for Poppy anymore, he was doing it for himself. Which meant he could do whatever the fuck he wanted, right? “Time’s up motherfucker, I pick option three, all of the above,” Tora snarled, stepping threatening towards his flesh and bone carving post.</p><p>~              ~                ~</p><p>                Poppy sat on Quincey’s couch, a tea in her hand as she finished recounting her ordeal, shuddering as she remembered the cold look in Tora’s eyes as she’d left the apartment. “I think he’s really going to kill him Quince. I feel sick about it.” She whispered.</p><p>                Quincey nodded from his end of the couch, “he probably will honey but after what you just told me I say good riddance to bad rubbish, let Tora take out the trash. He told me once it’s a dirty job but someone has to do it. Might as well be him.” He rationalized, taking a sip of his tea.</p><p>                Poppy shook her head sadly, “I’ve always suspected who he was, what he did. It’s still disturbing to have him say it out loud though, to know one of his victims. I don’t know Quincey; this whole thing is doing things to my head. I love him so much but, I don’t know. It’s impossible to lie to myself now that he’s said it. It’s one thing to suspect, it’s another thing entirely to <em>know</em>.” she attempted to explain her feelings as her gaze fell on his guitar, leaning against the wall where she’d left it after she’d arrived. She hadn’t gone back to the apartment after calling Quincey; she’d just gone downstairs with the guitar and waited for him to arrive. Tora was right; the last thing she wanted was to walk in on him doing something awful.</p><p>                Quincey blinked at her, “I don’t know what to say to you honey. It is what it is. Tora was never given a choice. Killing is part of who he is. People don’t change overnight you know; and to be rather cliché a Tiger can’t change its stripes. Also, we both know how protective and possessive he is over you. After what this guy put you though do you really blame Tora for wanting to eliminate Mr.Creepy as a threat, for…good?” he asked as casually as he could. He was aware of clan business, had even witnessed a murder or two but this was something else. He was well aware that Tora tried to keep his filth away from Poppy, he was probably further enraged with her stalker for forcing his hand, for forcing his darkness under a spotlight for her to examine. For that reason alone he’d probably kill him. There was also the fact that Tora never left witnesses. There was no crime if no one had seen it. There was no way Mylo was getting a pass. Not in a million years, even for Poppy. That wasn’t the way Tora rolled, his instincts and self-preservation impulses wouldn’t allow it.</p><p>                Poppy’s hands clenched around her tea, “Quincey,” she closed her eyes, sighing under the weight of the words; “he’s a murderer.”</p><p>                Quincey arched a brow as if to say ‘so what?’, “and? Honey,” he said condescendingly, “He’s been a murderer since long before you met him. Why does that change anything now? He’s still the man you love. Besides, in the words of Voltaire, all men are murderers unless they do it in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets. Some murderers are the most respected people in this country. He’s a soldier killing people in a different kind of war. If he were wearing a Narin military uniform would you still be this upset or would you be cheering him on? You said yourself that you’ve suspected for a long time; now that you know doesn’t that just mean you can strengthen your relationship? No elephant in the room anymore so to speak,” he drawled, gesturing with his hand flippantly as it rolled limply on his wrist, “besides, it’s not like he’s ever been violent with you has he?”</p><p>                She shrugged, conceding that Quincey may have a point, “I’m pretty sure that’s not how that quote goes and that’s too deep for me to think about tonight, I’d need some sake before getting philosophical with you. But, well, I mean, to answer your other question, he’s spanked me pretty hard before, no thanks to <em>you</em> I might add,” she replied tersely, still not quite ready to forgive him for betraying her trust the last time they’d had a little heart to heart about Tora.</p><p>                Quincey smirked, well aware of Tora’s interest in BDSM, hell, the man had practically written some of the smut scenes of some of his more wicked romance novellas himself through all his suggestions and beta edits. He smirked, not the least bit surprised to hear he’d given her tushy a good working over. “Oh puh-lease honey, don’t you lie to me for even a second. We both know you loved it. Who doesn’t like a little pain with their pleasure? And I suspect Tora is exquisite at doling it out.” He teased wagging his brows at her perversely.</p><p>                Poppy blushed down to her toes, she <em>had</em> loved it, all three times he’d done it. Who was she kidding? She loved sex with him no matter how he gave it to her, aggressively, dominantly, passionately, lovingly, adoringly…submissively. The last one made her wet, remembering the power he’d given over to her. There was just something deliciously addictive about being able to control a man like Tora, even if it was just an illusion. It was just nice to feel like the powerful one for once. “He is pretty amazing,” she whispered reverently.</p><p>                He eyed her, amused by her embarrassment, “so, what’s it going to be Poppy, you gonna give him up, his love, not to mention sex with the most beautiful specimen of toxic masculinity you’ve ever laid eyes on; or are you going to accept it as another messed up part of him and get over it?” he asked seriously.</p><p>                She set down her tea on his coffee table, flinging herself across the couch dramatically, looking up at him as she rested her head against his thigh, “oh give him some credit, he’s trying, he’s not toxic, he’s just…still learning.” She muttered before frowning, “has he really been killing people his whole life Quincey?” she asked brokenly. He nodded at her sadly. She sighed, closing her eyes, “I love him. I’m not giving him up. I guess I’ll just have to get over it.” She stated with conviction.</p><p>                Quincey smiled down at her, taking another sip of his tea thinking his friends’ romance would make a really good book one day, if Tora would ever allow him to write it.</p><p>                Poppy looked past him, staring at the ceiling. She would get over this, eventually, hopefully? She didn’t want to run right now so that was a good start at least right? Could she accept this? The way she had everything else? Maybe Quincey had a point. Lots of women were married to killers and people didn’t see it that way, hell she’d seen people shake soldiers hands and <em>thank</em> them for their service. Soliders were trained and encouraged to kill weren’t they? Lots of them were drafted, never given a choice? Was Tora really that much different? She scrunched up her face. Was she just trying to find another way to lie to herself again?</p><p>~               ~              ~</p><p>Tora pulled up out front of Quincey’s building shortly after midnight. He called her; she picked up on the third ring. “I’m here. Come down, I want to go home and sleep.” He didn’t wait for a reply, just hung up on her. In truth, he was feeling weird about what he’d done. He hadn’t honoured either of her requests. He’d been so angry. So vicious. He was disgusted with himself. He’d been cauterizing the stumps where Mylo’s hands had been when he’d stopped to question what the fuck he was doing. Utterly repulsed by his own actions. All he could think about was her face, the way she’d look at him if she could have seen him in that moment. He hadn’t bothered with Mylo’s spine, or cutting his throat, he’d just put a bullet in his skull, wanting it to be over. Cleaning up all the blood if he’d gone through with his original intention would have had him still in that meat locker. He was nervous about facing her; worried she’d be able to tell just from looking at him what he’d done. He cradled his forehead in the space between his thumb and forefinger, his elbow leaning heavily on the lip of his car door, the other arm on the console, eyes closed while he waited for her.</p><p>Poppy opened the back door first, sliding his guitar across the back seat before climbing in the front with him. He looked rough, defeated; there was no anger now, just the empty black mood he sunk into sometimes. She didn’t say a word. They had been together long enough for her to know when he was like this, he would only speak to her when he felt like it. Prying had never worked with him, if anything, it often lead to him just shutting down more. She wasn’t sure she actually wanted to know what he’d done with Mylo anyways. She accepted that he was most likely dead but despite her conversation with Quincey it still made her feel sick to her stomach. She stared straight ahead, silence filling the space between them as he put the car in drive and veered them towards home.</p><p>He lasted all of ten minutes before the silence eating away at him became too much. All he could picture was the blood and the pain in Mylo’s eyes and the sick satisfaction it had given him in the moment. Now though, now he was just full of regret and disgust with himself. He punched the radio, cranking it loud, missing Poppy’s gasp, desperately hoping it would drown out the way he felt Poppy was screaming at him silently every time she glanced over at him with concern in her eyes.  He tried to ignore her, letting the music drown out everything as he pressed the gas pedal harder, trying to put as much distance between them and what he’d done.</p><p>
  <em>And with this love song to you<br/>It's not a momentary phase<br/>You are my life, I don't deserve you<br/>But you love me just the same<br/>And as the mirror says we're older<br/>I want to look the other way<br/>You are my life, my love, my only<br/>And that's the one thing that won't change</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I'll never stop trying<br/>I'll never stop watching as you leave<br/>I'll never stop losing my breath<br/>Every time I see you looking back at me<br/>I'll never stop holding your hand<br/>I'll never stop opening your door<br/>I'll never stop choosing you babe<br/>I'll never get used to you</em>
</p><p> Poppy turned it down, enough so that they’d be able to talk, taking in the way he was driving with the heel of his palm on the top of steering wheel, his forefinger picking at the nail bed of his thumb. His other thumb keeping the beat anxiously on the arm rest between them, his jaw clenched so tight she was surprised he hadn’t chipped a tooth. She took his hand in both of hers drawing it into her lap, caressing the top of it with both her thumbs. She stared down at their hands, trying desperately to ignore the blood she’d spotted a moment ago on the back of his upper arm when he’d reached for the volume knob. “You know I love you no matter what you did tonight right?” She said just loud enough to be heard over the music, causing Tora’s heart to speed up erratically.</p><p>
  <em>You still get my heart racing</em>
  <em><br/>You still get my heart racing<br/>You still get my heart racing<br/>You still get my heart racing<br/>For you</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter 18</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Well, one more chapter left after this. :) This one is a little heavy, I promise tomorrow's is much lighter. </p><p>As always, enjoy and let me know your thoughts :)</p><p>Songs:<br/>All these things that I’ve done by The killers (Tora)   <br/>A man’s man’s world by James Brown (I prefer the Etta James cover for this) - Poppy  <br/>Midnight Train to Georgia by Gladys Night &amp; The Pips</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tora didn’t say a word. His heart beating so fast he was surprised he could still hear her considering the blood rushing through his ears. She <em>knew </em>he’d killed Mylo tonight. Did she really mean that? She’d looked so fucking disappointed in him when she’d left; even more so when she’d opened the car door less than a half hour ago. Her words when Mylo had had the knife to her throat had been rolling around in his head since he’d deposed of his body. ‘I never want to see you again,’ he knew she was smart, that she must have known all along what he really did. He’d been terrified of rejection after what he’d done but had been so focused on keeping her safe the notion she may <em>not </em>forgive him hadn’t actually made a significant impact until he’d dealt with the truck and come to pick her up. Yet, to have her just sit there and promise him she accepted the worst part of him was almost too much for his heart to handle. He couldn’t verbalize anything he was feeling in that moment.</p><p>Poppy frowned at their hands the longer the silence stretched between them, “you know I only want to be with you right Tora?” she asked softly, “you know you’re the only one I want to share my life and my home with? Right? Even when it’s hard?” she verified warily, repeating the words she’d said to him so many times.</p><p>He exhaled slowly, willing his heart to calm the fuck down. How the fuck was this getting to him even more than when she’d said ‘I love you’ the first time? He flipped over the hand in her lap, interlocking their fingers, squeezing her left hand gently, careful of her injured finger. “I know but I’m sorry I make it so hard sometimes,” he told her regretfully, “I’m sorry I’m not always able to meet your expectations but I’m trying Poppy, I’m always trying to be the man you deserve. I’m sorry I’m still not him.”</p><p>Poppy brushed away tears with her other hand, feeling ridiculous, god she was such a cry baby, no wonder Tora felt like he needed to protect her all the time. “Tora, don’t be silly, you treat me better than any man I’ve ever met other than my Dad,” she told him seriously.</p><p>Tora inhaled sharply, “that’s really sad Poppy cause I don’t treat ya right at all sometimes.”</p><p>She shrugged nonchalantly, “yeah but you’re trying to work on yourself and that’s a lot better than what some of my girlfriends back in Moonbright put up with.”</p><p>He narrowed his brows, “still doesn’t make it okay Poppy,” he told her, taking a sharp left. Highly doubtful the men she was referring to were mafia enforcers.</p><p>She shrugged again, “it’s a man’s world Tora, I’m just living in it.” She responded casually.</p><p>His nose scrunched as his brows furrowed even further together, “ya know something Poppy, I think that just might be the most fucked up thing you’ve ever said to me.” He told her seriously.</p><p>She didn’t shrug this time, just stared straight ahead out the windshield, “it’s hard not to feel like that right now Tora. Mylo didn’t see me as a human being; he didn’t respect me or my wants or my feelings or thoughts at all. Reflecting on our relationship, I think he’s been interested in me for a long time. I think he just respected Julri’s claim on me more than my own feeling about him which is why he never tried anything while we were together. I think that’s why the idea of me being with you made him so mad. Think about what he was saying when he was holding me, he said if he couldn’t have me than you didn’t get me either, like I had no say in the matter, like what happened to me was always just going to be a decision you two came to and I would just have to live with the outcome. He never questioned even once if I wanted to be with him. Like he was doing me some great favour by ‘caring’ about me.” She sighed dejectedly, “Julri didn’t respect me either, always lying to me and making me feel like everything callous he did was my fault. I mean, he had me so messed up I was convinced I was gross and that’s why he cheated on me, instead of realizing he was just a jerk that didn’t actually care about me at all. Hell, a man stopped me in the police station when I first went to report you and wouldn’t move until another man told him off for me. I asked him three times to let me pass and he wouldn’t, like my voice didn’t count for anything. Even Jacob, I mean he thinks he’s entitled to make comments about my body just ‘cause he’s a guy,” She paused for a long moment before voicing her final thought, “And honestly Tora, you ordering me around even makes me feel really weird sometimes. Like I know it’s wrong but I’m weirdly okay with it because I grew up listening to my Dad tell me what to do all the time and I like D/s a little more than I probably should. I let you get away with a lot of stuff I should probably call you on. I shouldn’t be in a parent-child relationship with you; we should be partners, equals. But I feel like a lot of women are like me. Conditioned to just accept what men are willing to give us. Conditioned to obey, and cater to and make excuses for them; as if your feelings and opinions and traumas are more important than my own.” She explained sadly, “it’s really hard to be a woman sometimes.” She stated brokenly, “I mean how can I not feel that way when for hundreds of years we <em>were</em> property to be handed off from fathers to husbands, often not even getting a choice in <em>if</em> we wanted to or even <em>who</em> we were marrying?” She explained matter of factly.</p><p>Tora glanced at her, his mouth a flat line, having no clue what to say to that. He had thought for sure that she’d be at least a little traumatized after what Mylo had done. However, she didn’t actually seem all that surprised by it, which just disturbed him further. This conversation had taken a fucked up turn and he wasn’t sure how to redirect them out of it. Personally, he felt that equality of men and women was fine. He knew plenty of bad ass women who had all the control. Lane being one of them. He was pretty damn sure she wore the pants in her romantic relationship, hell, maybe in all her relationships; she certainly had no problem telling <em>him</em> where to go and how to get there, especially when he wasn’t taking her calls. Her friend Erdene also came to mind. That girl didn’t seem like the type to take any kind of shit from anyone. Maybe it depended on the woman? Poppy was definitely feisty in her own right when she wanted to be but he would admit she tended to let people do whatever they wanted in order to avoid conflict. He thought pensively, remembering the man who had told her to get the hell out of the way rudely on the train the first day he’d seen her. She’d just apologized and moved. That made him frown. She should have turned around and told the bastard to shut the fuck up and wait his goddamn turn. He sighed, glad she had at least started call him on his own bullshit.</p><p>Then there was him, he didn’t think he ordered Poppy around because she was a woman, he pushed everyone around. He ordered plenty of men around, including Quincey, and even spoke to Vince the same way he spoke to her sometimes. Then again, he did treat his female targets differently than his male ones, and the Balthuman organization was predominantly men, and he would concede he’d grown up watching a lot of guys treat their women like shit. And…as much as it nagged him because of Mylo’s fucked up language around his feelings for Poppy; he still thought of her as his. Not his property, but his woman, his girl, his love. However, he hoped she felt the same way; he had liked it a lot when she had called him <em>her</em> tiger. Yet, he supposed he might hold some deep prejudices he wasn’t necessarily consciously aware of. He certainly didn’t hold the same expectations and roles for her that he did for himself in this relationship. He felt responsible for her safety, much like a parent over a child, like she’d pointed out, but the idea of her doing the same for him was almost laughable to him. That bothered him a little too considering she’d actually made the first move to protect and free herself from Mylo’s clutches. Shit he’d left her alone with that psycho for the better part of an hour and she’d only come out of it with a small cut and a swollen finger. He sighed, conceding he’d probably never really understand her feelings on this since he was a man; and that he might have even more work to do on viewing her as his ‘equal’ than he’d originally thought.</p><p>Poppy stared out the window, leaving Tora alone with his thoughts, letting the radio fill the silence between them. A small smile on her face, she’d always liked this song and its undertones. He might think he still had more work to do, but he was on a train in the right direction and that’s all that really mattered to her.</p><p>
  <em>And I've got to be with him (I know you will)<br/>On that midnight train to Georgia<br/>(Leavin' on the midnight train to Georgia, ooh ooh)<br/>I'd rather live in his world (live in his world)<br/>Than live without him in mine<br/>(Her world is his, his and hers alone)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>gonna board<br/>The midnight train to ride<br/>For love (for love) gonna board (gonna board)<br/>Gotta board the midnight train to go<br/>For love (for love) gonna board (gonna board)<br/>The midnight train to go</em>
</p><p>
  <em>My world (for love), his world (gonna board)<br/>Our world (the midnight train to go) now I'm his alone<br/>My world (for love), his world (gonna board)<br/>Our world (the midnight train to go) now I'm his alone<br/>I've got to go (for love), I've got to go (gonna board)<br/>I've got to go (the midnight train to go) hey<br/>I've got to go (for love), I've got to go (gonna board)<br/>(The midnight train to go)<br/>My world (for love), his world (gonna board)<br/>My man (the midnight train to go) his girl<br/>I've got to go (for love), I've got to go (gonna board)<br/>(The midnight train to go) I've got to go<br/>My world (for love), his world (gonna board)<br/>Our world</em>
</p><p> </p><p>He kept his eyes on the road, “I don’t want you to feel that way when you’re with me Bobby,” Tora finally spoke, hoping that was the right thing to say.</p><p>She turned to look at him, “it’s okay Tora, honestly. I’ve accepted who you are. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from all my books it’s that if you really love someone, you come to realize that their flaws come hand in hand with their good qualities. Yours outweigh the bad for me, and I hope you feel the same way about me. Like you said to me during our fight last week, I’m not perfect either,” she explained with a bright smile.</p><p>Tora smiled, “that was bullshit I was pulling outta my ass ‘cause I felt backed into a corner and didn’t know what to say. You’re perfect to me Poppy, I wish ya saw how beautiful ya are to me when ya looked in the mirror.” He paused before turning to look at her with a sly smirk, “I could live with a little less glitter on everything but it’s a small price to pay for the happiness ya bring me.” He teased, giving her hand another squeeze as they pulled into the parking lot of their building.  </p><p>Poppy blushed and got out of the car, waiting while he grabbed his guitar and then unlocked the main door for them.</p><p>“Tora nothing you did tonight is going to come back on us right? Like no one is going to find him right? We’re not going to get in trouble?” she asked hesitantly on the landing of the main floor, wringing her hands.</p><p>Tora glanced down at her with a smirk, “boss level thug Bobby. I know what I’m doing sweetheart, ya got nothing to worry about, I don’t fuck up shit like that,” he promised.</p><p>“But-” she began, before he cut her off.</p><p>“I went through his phone, went to his apartment, it was sparse, maybe even worse than mine, didn’t seem like he planned on staying long. He wasn’t talking to anyone regularly aside from you and his mother. Told his mom he couldn’t come home until he claimed something he’d lost. I’m assuming that meant you. He never mentioned your name to her though, and you said you hadn’t spoken to him since high school. I think we’re fine sweetheart. The guy was shady as fuck. Lots of people go missing every day and are never found Poppy. He’s missing along with his wallet, phone and truck, nothing to signal foul play. The cops will just assume he’s looking for what he lost when his mom reports him missing. People watch too many stupid cop shows. Crimes don’t get solved and wrapped up in an hour. Lots of them never get solved.” He explained in a soft voice, only loud enough for her to hear. When she still looked uncertain he went out on a limb, hoping she meant what she’d said in the car, “sweetheart, I’ve been doing this a long time. I’ve never been caught. You said last week in the bath that you believe and trust in me. I promise you, you don’t need to worry about any kind of consequence for this. Like I said, this is all on me.” He explained, hoping he was comforting her.</p><p>Poppy frowned and stared at her shoes, conflicted about the fact that his response had reassured her instead of repulsing her. She didn’t approve of killing, the fact he was obviously so well practiced at it should make her uncomfortable. He reached for her, his fingers laced with hers, pulling her out of her own thoughts.</p><p>They climbed the stairs together hand in hand before entering their home. She roamed around, surprised to see everything looking normal. She turned to look at him, his back to her as he changed into a pair of sweatpants before wandering into the kitchen. Not only was there no sign of what had come to pass this afternoon, Tora had cleaned up the snack plate she’d made, cleaned and put away the knife and even taken the time to put the cheese back in the fridge and put the cushions back properly around the table. “Hey good-lookin’,” she called to him. He meandered in, bare chested, in the process of securing his hair back in a bun, his brows raised in silent question. “Thank you.” She said softly, wondering if she was thanking him for saving her, for making Mylo go away, for listening about tidying up or just for being him.</p><p>“-welcome”, he said, accepting her gratitude for all of it as he reached past her for his container of strawberries, he was starving; he hadn’t eaten since this morning. He chewed, watching as she reached for one, enjoying the smile on her face as she bit into it.</p><p>Poppy grinned, she loved strawberries, they were always sweet, just like him. She studied him, her body reacting to his nakedness the way it always did, “Hey Tora,” she ventured, licking her lips clean of the berry juice.</p><p>“Mmm,” he mumbled around a mouthful, acknowledging her as he reached for another.</p><p>“I’m feeling really grateful for you, think I could maybe show you how much I mean it?” she asked, wagging her brows at him invitingly, teasing him with the words that were quickly becoming a private joke between the two of them.</p><p> Tora scratched his forehead with the back of his thumb as he finished chewing and swallowed, completely taken aback by her attitude. She’d been held at knife point by her stalker this afternoon, then come to terms with the fact he’d killed him, then had that heavy conversation in the car, discussed a murder in a stairwell and now she wanted to have sex? Christ it was almost one in the morning, all he wanted to do was sleep. “Uh, how ‘bout a raincheck for tomorrow morning sweetheart? I’m uh, kinda tired and uh, actually really confused as to, uh, why you’d want to uh…now?” He responded awkwardly.</p><p>Poppy shrugged one shoulder, “to be honest with you I’m not really sure either, but I do. I don’t know if I just want this day to end on something normal for us, or maybe I want a reminder I’m still alive, or in love, or maybe I’m just used to needing to reassure you I still want you whenever something bad happens? But if you’re tired that’s cool, I can wait till morning.” She replied, plopping another berry between her lips.</p><p>He crossed his arms and leaned against the fridge, unnerved by her response, was he really that needy? Was this another of those conditioned responses she was talking about in the car? “Bobby, ya know ya don’t ever have to have sex with me if you don’t want to. I really hope ya don’t say yes to me because ya think I need it instead of wanting it yourself.” He explained, hoping he wasn’t about to step into another pile of shit.</p><p>She sighed, “Tora I’m pretty sure my libido is just as insatiable as yours. All you have to do is look at me and I get wet. I always want you. If you’re the tired one this time though, I’ll respect your sleep,” she teased, rising up on her tipy toes to kiss his cheek before disappearing out of the kitchen to get ready for bed.</p><p>Tora dragged his hands over his face, the woman made him insane, she’d just stoked his ego and shamed him for his previous actions in the same breath. He shook his head in amused disbelief as he leaned against the counter, reaching for another strawberry, eyeing the photo of them on the fridge as he chewed. He smiled, liking the way she looked under his arm. His smile fell, remembering the last time he’d been looking at it, the day she’d asked him to move in. Now that Mylo was gone…did that mean he had to go back to his place? He put the strawberries away, suddenly losing his appetite. He wasn’t ready for that conversation yet. He didn’t want to leave. He wanted to stay. If she’d let him.</p><p>He crawled into bed with her a few minutes later, “Goodnight Tora, I love you,” Poppy told him, yawning as she turned out the light. She kicked him in the shin a minute later when he didn’t reply, too lost in his own thoughts.</p><p>He chuckled, pulling her close, amused by her feistiness “same Bobby, same. I promise,” he swore, squeezing her a little to emphasize his point.</p><p>“You’d better,” she teased, snuggling deeper into his embrace.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Chapter 19</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>And alas, it ends. Guys I've been waiting to give you this movie date for weeks! Gah I'm so happy we're finally here. :D</p><p>Please let me know your thoughts on this as a whole :)</p><p>Songs:<br/>Naked by Ella Mai (if you don't know this one it is well worth a listen. Super talented woman)<br/>Peaceful Easy Feeling by The Eagles</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tora tossed his set of keys onto the table in front of her a week later, prompting her to put down her book. “I can’t take it anymore Bobby, I really need to know how you feel about this. The uncertainty is driving me nuts.” He told her, crossing his arms as he lowered himself to the floor sitting across from her. She hadn’t brought up their living arrangements even once since Mylo’s disappearance. They’d just continued to cohabitate as they had for the better part of the month. Tora had been happy about it for the first few days, and then his anxiety had begun to get to him, wondering every morning when he woke up if that would be the day she asked him to leave. If that would be the day things would go back to the way they had been before. He didn’t want to be a ghost at her door every night. This felt like home. He hadn’t realized how lost and detached he’d felt about his life and his living space before he’d moved in.</p><p>Poppy eyed the keys he’d tossed between them like a gauntlet thrown before a duel. She looked up at him and the guarded look he sported on his face. In truth, she’d been avoiding this conversation. She knew moving him in so soon into their relationship had put a strain on it but she didn’t want him to leave. She had become rather accustom to him and they had both gotten pretty good at making concessions for each other by sharing the same space. In a way she felt living together had brought them much closer together as a couple despite all the bickering they’d done. There was also the glaring fact that when he had to work all night, or she ate dinner alone she was lonely and missed his company. “How I feel about what?” she asked with false innocence, still hoping to put this off. When Tora just glared at her she sighed and rolled her eyes, “oh alright, I don’t know. What do you want?” she asked in return.</p><p>Tora blinked at her, she wanted to know how he felt? It wasn’t up to him. This was her space originally; did his feelings really matter that much to her on this? “I feel like this is home and I want to be wherever you are,” he told her seriously. Hoping desperately that it didn’t come across as corny to her as it sounded to his own ears.</p><p>She grinned at him, “then stay here with me,” she said simply, picking her book back up, finding the spot she’d left off at.</p><p>He arched a brow at her, his face twisting in confusion, “Just like that? You’ll let me stay?” he asked, “forever? No time limit?” he clarified, uncrossing his arms as he reached to collect the keys before she could change her mind.</p><p>Poppy smirked at him from over her book, still amused by his own insecurities. Didn’t the silly man know by now she was just as crazy about him as he was about her? She decided to tease him a little, letting her eyes fall back to her book so she wouldn’t laugh at the hopeful expression on his face, “Well, I mean, I think that tv would miss you and just gather dust if you left and you’re getting really good at cleaning the bathroom, I’d hate for you to forget how to do that if we went backwards. I don’t really want to have to retrain you.” She bit her lip, holding in her laughter, it was useless, when his face fell at her words she couldn’t contain it anymore. She cackled, putting down her book as she crawled around the table and into his lap. “Tora don’t be stupid, I love you, of course I want you to stay. I’d miss you if you left. I’m in this for the long haul if you are. No sense in you moving out only to move back in a few days later when we both decide we’re miserable without each other.” She reassured him, smiling sweetly at him as she straddled his lap, her arms slung loosely around his neck.</p><p>Tora frowned at her, he hadn’t appreciated her humour at all, “you’re a real asshole sometimes ya know that?” He told her, wrapping his own arms around her waist.</p><p>She shrugged, “and you’re a real domineering jerk sometimes but you still love me, and I still love you. Even if we don’t always like each other,” she informed him nonchalantly.    </p><p>He narrowed his brows at her, his smirk betraying his real feelings, “I think I’m gonna punish you now for teasing me like that,” he threatened.</p><p>Poppy raised her brows at that, “oh yeah? Promise?” she egged him on, amusement laced throughout her tone.</p><p>Tora barked out a laugh, “ya know, sometimes I get the feeling you actually secretly enjoy my aggression issues.” He said with good humour.</p><p>She raised a brow at him, “I’m sorry, at what point was that ever a secret?” she teased.</p><p>A grin spread over his face as he stood, holding her to him, keeping her legs around his waist as he walked them the few feet over to their bed, tossing her on it. She cocked her head at him as he pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it towards the hamper. It landed on the floor to the right of it. Poppy glanced at it then back at him, “you gonna pick that up and put it where it belongs or…”she trailed off, a sarcastic smile on her face.</p><p>He grinned and shook his head at her in amusement, “shut up and strip Bobby,” he chuckled.  </p><p>She smiled warmly, “is that an order?” she teased, propping herself up on her elbows.</p><p> </p><p>Tora popped the button on his pants, “you’re damn right it is,” he said, still smirking at her.</p><p>Poppy laughed, “guess I’d better do as I’m told then eh?” she retorted, stripping out of her shirt, tossing it on the floor beside his as she reached for her lounge shorts, pushing those and her panties down and off her legs as well. Tora was naked by the time she was done, coming to settle on the bed beside her. She flopped back, equally naked, arms and legs out to her sides. “Okay, I’m ready, how ya want me?” she asked, giggling.</p><p>Tora burst into laughter, “how am I supposed to maintain a hard on when you’re not takin’ me seriously at all?” he asked lightheartedly, not the least bit disappointed by her antics.</p><p>She rolled onto her side, facing him, glancing down at his fully engorged member, “I don’t know Tora, doesn’t look like you’re having any trouble to me?” she pointed out, making no move to touch him.</p><p>He shoved an arm under his head, pillowing his head, his hand sliding over her waist to her lower back drawing her into him. He kissed her, then drew away smiling. “Wanna watch that movie you were talking about the other day?” he asked seriously.</p><p>She raised a brow at him, “you don’t want sex then?” she asked with a smile, not the least bit disappointed.</p><p>Tora shrugged, “kinda just wanna hold ya, plus I’m pretty sure I owe ya a movie date, though I’m sure ya could convince me if that’s what you want?” he teased, his eyes filled with something warm.</p><p>Poppy rolled out of bed and grabbed the remote off her dresser and a blanket from the end of the bed, chucking both at him as his eyes traced her naked form. He caught the remote midair and turned on the tv, already navigating to Netflix while she unfolded the blanket over them. He handed her the remote so he could throw an arm over her waist under the blanket, the other piling pillows for himself before letting her use his other arm as her own pillow. She clicked on the movie she wanted, before settling her arm over his, interlocking their fingers as he pulled her in tighter, enjoying the way their bodies molded together.</p><p>Tora watched patiently as the movie opened with a kid playing a baseball video game, his grandfather showing up to toss a wrapped book at him.</p><p>
  <em>That’s right, when I was your age television was called books, and this is a special book, it’s the book my father used to read to me when I was sick and I used to read it to your father and now I’m gonna read it to you.</em>
</p><p>He snorted in Poppy’s ear when the kid asked if there was any sports in it.</p><p>
  <em>Are you kidding? Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles.</em>
</p><p>Tora raised his brows, he thought this was supposed to be a chick flick but now he wasn’t so sure. He was as interested as the kid now, listening raptly as the old man began his tale.</p><p>
  <em>Buttercup was raised on a small farm in the countryside; her favourite pastimes were riding a horse and tormenting the farm boy that worked there. His name was Wesley but she never called him that. Nothing gave Buttercup as much pleasure as ordering Wesley around. </em>
</p><p>Tora chucked in her ear, wondering if she had picked this movie for a specific reason now. Was she trying to teach him another lesson? Poppy smiled to herself, enjoying his reactions.</p><p>
  <em>As you wish, was all he ever said to her. Farm boy, fill these with water…please.</em>
</p><p>Tora’s brows narrowed in suspicion, fairly convinced this wasn’t just a random movie choice now.</p><p>
  <em>That day she was amazed to discover that when he was saying ‘as you wish’ what he meant was ‘I love you’. And even more amazing was the day she realized she truly loved him back. </em>
</p><p>Poppy sighed happily in his arms as the man reached for a pitcher the girl could have easily gotten herself before they started kissing with the sunset behind them. Tora rolled his eyes.</p><p>
  <em>Hold it, hold it, what is this, are you tryna trick me? Where’s the sports, is this a kissing book? When does this get good?</em>
</p><p>He chuckled again identifying hard with the kid as Poppy giggled, nuzzling her face against his arm, as the old man continued, explaining that Wesley was setting off on a dangerous journey that would take him away from Buttercup, so that he could return with money for their marriage, so he would be worthy of her.</p><p>
  <em>What if I never see you again? Of course you will. But what if something happens to you?</em>
</p><p>Poppy’s fingers tightened on his at the girl’s words. Tora kissed the top of her head in response.</p><p>
  <em>Hear this now, I will always come for you. But how can you be sure? This is true love.</em>
</p><p>She sighed wistfully again as Tora tried desperately to keep himself from snorting in amusement. Oh she had definitely picked this fucking movie on purpose. He knew he was in for it now. He watched on, enjoying her reactions. “He ain’t dead,” he muttered as the grandfather informed the boy Wesley had died, killed by pirates.</p><p>Poppy smiled, “Shhh, you’ll just have to watch and find out,” she chastised.</p><p>Tora laughed out loud at Prince ‘Humperdinck’, what a stupid fucking fitting name for the fucktwat, he didn’t like the character at all. He enjoyed the three stooges though, surprised to find himself so genuinely engaged by the film. He especially enjoyed the Spaniard and his one track revenge fueled mind. The fight scenes weren’t bad either. He frowned when ‘the Dread Pirate Roberts’ who was obviously Wesley in disguise caught up with Buttercup and confronted her.</p><p>
  <em>Where I come from, there are penalties when a woman lies…your cruelty reveals everything. You’re the Dread Pirate Roberts. Admit it. <strong>With pride</strong>. What can I do for you? You can die slowly cut into a thousand pieces. </em>
</p><p> Tora frowned. He hadn’t told Poppy he was the ‘Tiger of Ares Street’ with pride at all. Slowly starting to understand she somehow thought he and this Wesley character had a fair amount in common. He didn’t see it.</p><p>
  <em>You mock my pain. Life is pain, Highness, anyone who says differently is selling something. I remember this farm boy of yours, I think. He spoke of a girl..of surpassing beauty and faithfulness. I can only assume he meant you. You should bless me for destroying him…before he found out what you really are. Faithfulness he talked of, madam…your enduring faithfulness, tell me truly. When you found out he was gone…did you get engaged to your prince that same night or did you wait a whole week out of respect for the dead? </em>
</p><p>Tora cringed, not sure how he felt about this movie anymore.</p><p><em>I died that day! You can die, too, for all I care. </em>Buttercup shouted before pushing Wesley down the hill, tossing herself after him as he shouted, <em>As…you…wish!</em></p><p>He watched on as they battled a myriad of obstacles keeping them apart including man eating swamp rats. He chuckled every now and then at the ridiculousness of the film, rolling his eyes and smirking at Poppy’s reactions as Wesley declared his undying love for Buttercup over and over again, fighting against all odds to be with her.</p><p>
  <em>Who gets Humperdinck at the end? Somebody’s got to do it. Is it Inigo? Who? Nobody. Nobody kills him. He lives. You mean he wins? Jesus, Grandpa, what did you read me this thing for?</em>
</p><p>Tora narrowed his brows, relating to the kid again. Hell, he’d kill Humperdinck himself if he were real. No way that fucktwat was gonna get away with hurting Wesley and forcing Buttercup to marry him.</p><p>
  <em>There’s a shortage of perfect breasts in this world. It would be a pity to damage yours.</em>
</p><p>Tora snorted again as he watched Buttercup shower Wesley in kisses as Poppy rolled onto her back, pecking him on the lips. “Are you enjoying the movie?” she asked quietly.</p><p>He smiled down at her, kissing her again before responding, “yeah, it’s alright. Humperdinck is a dickwad though. Looking forward to when someone whacks him.” He told her, his eyes already glued back to the screen.  It was Poppy’s turn to snort at the look of glee on Tora’s face as Wesley described in great detail what he was going to do to Humperdinck.</p><p>
  <em>Your ears you keep, and I’ll tell you why…so every shriek of every child at seeing your hideousness…will be yours to cherish. Every babe that weeps at your approach…every woman who cries out, “God, what is that thing”…will echo in your perfect ears. That is what “to the pain” means. It means I leave you in anguish…wallowing in freakish misery forever. </em>
</p><p>Tora was loving this guy, almost wished he could work with him. Fucking A. Wesley could roll with him anytime. He was still smiling when the old man went on to describe the passionate kiss Wesley and Buttercup shared as they rode into the sunset, and then told his grandson he’d come back and read the story again tomorrow.  “What’d you think?” Poppy asked, turning off the tv before rolling onto her side to face him.</p><p>He smirked at her, only a little disappointed Humperdinck hadn’t died, it was a movie though, so he could let it go, no doubt Wesley would have killed him in real life. “I liked it, it was hilarious and kinda ridiculous, but I liked. Not quite sure what you’re trying to tell me though,” he admitted.</p><p>Poppy raised both her brows at him, “you think I’m trying to tell you something?” she asked innocently, squeaking, jumping, pressing her body firmly against his as he swatted her behind, “okay, okay. Geez. I’ll explain.” She told him, reaching up to caress his face. “I just want you to know that no matter what you do, or where you go or what we face; be it a crazy stalker who wants to force me to marry him or giant swamp rats,” he smirked at her attempt to lighten what had transpired this past month, “I accept who you are and what you do and I love you. Always.” She promised, peppering his face with kisses.</p><p>He rolled her under him, capturing her lips with his, kissing her deeply, settling between her legs. He pulled away to kiss the column of her throat, nipping her shoulder before bringing his mouth to her ear. “Same.”</p><p>  Poppy rolled her eyes, “you gonna make love to me now?” she asked seriously.</p><p>Tora laughed, pressing another kiss to her mouth before smirking at her, “As you wish sweetheart.” He teased, reaching down to align himself, only mildly surprised to find her already wet before sinking into her slowly, watching with profound attention as she threw her head back and moaned in pleasure, accepting him with no trace of discomfort. He didn’t move. Just held himself within her, trying but failing to fight off the way her body’s reaction and her words had made him feel. “Poppylan,” she opened her eyes and looked into his; surprised to find them glazed over with a wet sheen, “all joking aside, I hope you know you’re my home and I love you.” He confessed heartwarmingly.</p><p>She smiled up at him, she cupped his face, kissing him deeply, wiping away the single tear gravity had forced from the corner of his eye. “Same,” she promised.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Featured Movie: The Princess Bride<br/>If you don't know it/haven't watched it you're missing out. The film is gold and a huge inspiration for this story.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>